Azkaban: A Tale of Revenge
by Evilgrinch
Summary: (COMPLETED) Begins with Sirius's escape from Azkaban. An epic tale set during the events of the third book, with Sirius lust for vengeance against Wormtail. Has now come to its tragic and hopefully poetic conclusion...please RR.
1. A Meeting with Fudge

Author's note- Okay, this is the first time I have ever attempted a SERIOUS fan fiction, everything else I have done is mostly satirical or just plain mental. I had a little anxiety before posting, as I fear that numerous other stories identical to this one may exist whose authors could accuse me of plagiarism. I swear to God I copied nobody; this is all my own stuff (Apart from characters and stuff, which I stole off Mrs.Rowling) It's set in Azkaban. Sirius is a bit unhinged, and well....It's the happiest I have personally been with any of my stories. If people like it, I have already planned many chapters that I thoroughly look forward to writing.  
  
Enjoy, and remember to review!!!!!!  
  
*  
  
Sirius Black, Sirius White, Sirius Green, Sirius Blue, Sirius Yellow, Sirius Purple.  
  
Sirius Black woke with a startled yell as he rolled off his rigid grey mattress and onto the stone floor. The marginally whiter sheet that had been draped over his body remained pinned under the pile of old newspapers he was using as a pillow. The pictures on the FrontPage often spoke to him. Not a nice conversation, if you could describe it as a conversation at all, but he distinctly felt the impression that there were eyes on him as he lay contemplating his future.  
  
Future, ha, yeah....right.  
  
He remembered when he had visited the place where muggles prayed to a supreme being as a child. What was it called? A churk.....no, that's not right....a church. Anyway, he had been little more then a toddler at the time, but the words from the eccentric cleric who marched back and fourth at the front of the building had permanently cemented themselves into his sub conscious. When imprisoned with only your thoughts for company, the subconscious and irrational side of any mans mind takes control.  
  
So as he lay now on the ground, his left cheek pressed against the cold stone floor he remembered the words of that same cleric.  
  
"Betrayal is the worst of all human sins"  
  
Sirius smiled weakly, something fairly unusual for a man in his position. He wouldn't have thought it then, but with enough time for his mind to dwell on such trivialities he had finally realised how right that cleric had been.  
  
The cleric spoke of how Judas betrayed Jesus at the conclusion of the so- called 'Christmas tale'.  
  
Peter Pettigrew had betrayed Sirius.  
  
Sirius smiled again. This time with a manic glint in his eye as he considered whether Peter had hanged himself after the betrayal, like that Judas guy did. He certainly hoped not, for one day...not necessarily anytime soon, but one day...Lord.Voldemort would rise again and Pettigrew would find himself in an Azkaban cell where vengeance could be had.  
  
Sirius Black, Sirius White, Sirius Green, Sirius Blue, Sirius Yellow, Sirius Purple.  
  
Even he forgot who he was sometimes.  
  
Sirius placed the palms of his hands on the ground, and using his minimal strength pushed himself upwards into a standing position.  
  
"Wormtail as Judas! I guess that makes me the Son of God?" He muttered to himself, half mocking the thought, half entertaining the fantasy. In many ways, the comparisons were understandable. As he stood, his once alert eyes now sagging and tired, he bared something of a physical resemblance to the messiah.  
  
He had the beard for a start, long black strands of greasy hair, which stretched down, further then he'd like to imagine.  
  
Sirius scratched his face, removing a speck of dirt, which was irritating. Well, to say he scratched his face was probably an exaggeration. Little face remained; he was just a mess of dirt and hair with two lifeless yet deep eye sockets in the centre. His mouth had been lost years ago when the authorities had denied him the use of a razor.  
  
Every meal was now a strain. Attempting to force the lumps of stale bread through the jungle of hair and into the hole was easier said than done. Sometimes he even made a game of it, seeing if he could navigate the entire journey blindly, and not get stuck once on the way.  
  
The sort of game that only the idle mind of a man slowly going mad allows.  
  
But Sirius wasn't going mad. A little deranged perhaps, but not clinically mad in the St.Mungo's definition of the word.  
  
Revenge kept his mind fresh. His memories and feelings lay dormant for most of the time, buried deep where the dementors couldn't find them and coated with a thick blanket of revenge more terrible then the cloaked guards could ever comprehend.  
  
For all Sirius cared they could feed on him for a lifetime, but if that's what it took for his dream of revenge to become a reality, he was willing to take the risk. Whether today, whether tomorrow...whether after this world had ended and only spirits remained floating in an abyss of eternity, he was willing to wait.  
  
But one day, Innocent chubby little Wormtail, too cowardly to ever be suspected of wrongdoing, would feel Sirius' wrath.  
  
Sirius Black, Sirius White, Sirius Green, Sirius Blue, Sirius Yellow, Sirius Purple.  
  
Who the hell keeps saying that?  
  
Sirius spun around abruptly and stared out of the front of his cell. No humans were required on the island where the prison resided aside from the inmates, so each cell consisted of little more then a domesticated small stone cave, the open front barred and guarded by magic more powerful then any studied in the Western World.  
  
Sirius flicked his head back, sending a few strands of hair out of his eyes. Blinking for an unnaturally long time, he managed to briefly clear his mind of any insane ravings about Sirius White and the multicoloured surnames, and remember his surroundings, where he was...what he was doing there.  
  
He was there because of Peter Pettigrew.  
  
*  
  
Cornelius Fudge stepped off the decrepit wooden raft and onto dry land. He brushed and flattened his robes to give himself the smartest and most impressive appearance as possible, tucked his newspaper under his arm and begun to trek up towards the fortress.  
  
The confused muggle who rowed the raft was a little perturbed by this intriguing customer, who once a year took a 3-hour trip to the deserted island almost a mile off the Plymouth coast. As the muggle looked out onto the island, he saw nothing but a large pile of tumultuous bracken moving a little in the light wind.  
  
The muggle sighed and begun to turn his raft...well at least he got paid well.  
  
*  
  
Fudge walked up the winding stone steps, eventually reaching the top. He was greeted by a large cloaked figure that said nothing, but handed him a rolled brown piece of parchment from a scabbed grey hand. Fudge took the parchment swiftly and opened it. He glanced for a moment at the contents before nodding at the dementor and speaking.  
  
"I would like to begin the Inspection now. I hope I will suffer no interference, this is Ministry business"  
  
The dementor said nothing, but Fudge felt the anxieties and confusion which were clouding his mind since he had got off the raft, lessen.  
  
"Thank you" Fudge continued, and strode past the dementor into the main courtyard of the prison.  
  
The prison was essentially a huge rock square shaped structure, with the cells set into hollows in each wall. The magically reinforced bars blocked each hollow, preventing any prisoners escape...not that they had any chance to escape. The dementors drove them insane within weeks of arrival. Each time one of the huge black cloaks was seen floating past their cell, the unfortunate convict would feel their most painful memories drifting to the surface of their consciousness as the dementors sucked any happy thoughts away from them.  
  
On the inside, it was known informally as "feeding time". When the dementors brought the prisoners food, the inmates weren't the only ones having a meal.  
  
Fudge walked slowly through the centre of the courtyard, occasionally glimpsing prisoners sitting in their cells shaking and muttering to themselves. Not unusual, the price they deserved to pay for turning their backs on civilised life and choosing to stand alongside the most evil wizard of the 20th century.  
  
Thankfully nearly all Voldemort's supporters were now hidden away in Azkaban, where they could cause nobody any harm.  
  
As Fudge reached the end of the courtyard, he noticed a bearded figure staring back at him from inside the furthest cell. It took him a moment to register who the man was, as the physical difference was astounding from the lively individual he had once known.  
  
Fudge checked his watch. He should really be making his way to check over the prisons records, but a short chat couldn't do any harm. He slipped the watch back into his pocket and swept over to Sirius cell. The dementors positioned outside took this as a cue to leave, and disappeared off to feed on another prisoners mind.  
  
As Cornelius Fudge approached the cell, Sirius wrapped his hands around the bars and contorted his face into something of a feeble smile, baring his yellowed teeth.  
  
"Well, well, well...Sirius Black. It's certainly been a long time"  
  
"Likewise Mr.Fudge," Sirius replied  
  
"Enjoying life in Azkaban Prison?"  
  
"Is that a joke Cornelius?"  
  
"Possibly".  
  
Fudge glared at Sirius for a moment, mildly interested in how unaffected by the dementor's powers he appeared to be. Black, the traitor, seemed almost sane. Sirius eyes fleetingly made contact with the Daily Prophet still tucked under Fudge's arm, and he extended one of his fingers in its direction.  
  
"Are you finished with your newspaper?"  
  
"Yes....why do you ask?"  
  
"I used to rather enjoy the crosswords" Sirius replied sardonically. "I would like to keep up the charade of living a normal life, even if only on a part-time basis"  
  
Fudge smiled weakly and handed Sirius the paper. Sirius accepted it graciously, and for the briefest of seconds their fingers made contact as it exchanged hands. Fudge turned to leave, stopping ever so briefly to allow one final comment.  
  
"You gave up the chance of ever living a normal life Sirius, the day you betrayed your best friend and sold your soul to the devil"  
  
Ignoring Fudge, Sirius flipped open the newspaper. It was today's....excellent; he had been putting up with rubbish tabloids that he got once a month if good behaviour permitted a reward.  
  
On the front-page there was a large photo of a family, 5 members all standing side by side with a pyramid in the distance. Sirius gaze was not drawn to the people though as he sat back on his mattress, but rather to the large grey rat sitting on one of the children's shoulders.  
  
For the first time in 12 years, Sirius' eyes sparkled with true happiness as the realisation hit him. For the first time in 12 years he knew where the man who had ruined his life was. For the first time in 12 years he would be able to begin plotting his revenge.  
  
Unfortunately his dreams would have to wait for now, as the dementors glided back over to guard his cell, and replaced his surge of delight with insane thoughts of multicoloured surnames.  
  
Sirius Black, Sirius White, Sirius Green, Sirius Blue, Sirius Yellow, Sirius Purple.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED.... 


	2. Why Peter?

Authors note: Thank you to the few who reviewed the first chapter for not being too harsh. A hasty update was required, but thankfully Wormtail is no longer a brown rat ;) This chapter is pretty much a straightforward continuation but with a short flashback and an amusing opening line that may be tackily familiar for one or two reviewers.  
  
Enjoy! ___________________________________________________________________  
  
Chapter II  
  
Siriusly Sirius you must stop being so Sirius all the time.  
  
Sirius sat alone, as always, in the dark gloomy depths of his cell. He had spent the day thinking up amusing ways of working his own name into stories. Not exactly the most exciting way to occupy ones time, but the dementors found it rather entertaining, and it helped keep his true thoughts in shade.  
  
Living alongside such vile creatures required Sirius to find out ways to combat their abilities. He had discovered fairly early on in his incarceration that to keep something light and possibly comedic at the fore front of his thoughts was the best way to deal with their capability of slowly removing a wizards powers. The dementors thought that 'awful prisoner Black' was merely sitting on his bed manically playing word games, but the truth was that this was simply a cover for the true thoughts and emotions Sirius was contemplating.  
  
He's at Hogwarts he thought cheerfully.  
  
He's at Hogwarts, and one day I am going to find him and smash in his chubby little face.  
  
Sirius laughed hysterically, something the dementors guarding his door quickly noticed and remedied by sucking away the laughter like a vacuum cleaner sucks up dirt.  
  
With his laughter firmly bottled, Sirius lay prone on his bed, staring through the bars into the courtyard and the cell opposite his, in the far distance. He couldn't quite see who was inside, but he was confident they were there for a reason.  
  
"Unlike some of us" he incoherently mumbled.  
  
Sirius Black, Sirius White, Sirius Green, Sirius Blue, Sirius Yellow, Sirius Purple.  
  
Sirius screamed and slammed his head into the wall, opening a cut, which he thought, had closed the night before. There was a lack of vitamins and minerals in his diet. Despite the meagre snacks served to him by the guards, his body was slowly digesting its own living tissue. He was cannibalising himself. He almost wished little Kreacher had been around. The house elf may have been annoying, but he could certainly whip up a mean Lasagne when it was required.  
  
Since Fudge's visit, he had spent the days mostly sleeping. For his plan to succeed it was important that he refuse to eat his meals and lose weight. Losing weight....yeah right! If Sirius lost any more weight then they would come in one day and just find a skeleton lying on his bunk clutching the photograph of the family he had ripped out of the paper. His gaunt frame now meant that even the tattoos on his chest were fading. Maybe it was just the lack of sunlight, or perhaps the guards had just used cheap ink. It had been one of Fudge's foolish ideas before he left. "Oh yes, lets stick big dark painful tattoos on the lifetime prisoners so they can be kept track of"  
  
Bloody fool. How would Fudge like it if a dementor came at HIM with a 10 inch needle and a pot of ink. And what about AIDS? Those other prisoners could be carrying anything, and Sirius refused to believe that the dementors carefully sterilised their tattooing equipment.  
  
Perhaps next time Fudge dropped in, Sirius would transform into his Animagus form and urinate up his leg. Such childish pranks were his speciality when in school. He had gotten away with the same trick dozens of times on many students who caused him disrespect. He would just slip away into a dark corner, transform illegally, then pop out again and mark his territory.  
  
The number of times Snivellus Snape had his robes defecated on by that 'annoying black dog that must live in the forest' was unbelievable.  
  
Moony had frowned upon it of course. He never did find their jokes very humorous. Jealousy perhaps. James and Sirius could transform at anytime they wished for their own amusement, poor Remus had to wait until the light of the full moon glazed the school on a monthly basis.  
  
And then there was Wormtail. The traitor...the little bastard who ruined everything.  
  
The pathetic idiot who used to stalk them, pretending to be their friend....following them to the common room every evening and sitting with them. Sleeping in the same room with them every night for 7 years.  
  
The spineless shit that caused James' death.  
  
If we lived in a fair and just world Sirius thought, it would be Peter in here.  
  
"But the world isn't a fair and just place."  
  
Sirius looked up anxiously at the dementor outside. Had the dementor just spoken to him? No...impossible, dementors don't have vocal chords. It couldn't have been.  
  
Sirius Black, Sirius White, Sirius Green, Sirius Blue, Sirius Yellow, Sirius Purple.  
  
"Nooooooooo" Sirius screamed as he slammed his head into the wall yet again, the crimson drops of blood flicking around and inexpensively redecorating the cell.  
  
They were finally getting to him. 12 years he had managed to resist them with relative ease, and now....when happy thoughts of torturing Peter were bubbling at the forefront of his imagination, the dementors were taking control.  
  
But he wouldn't let them.  
  
Sirius face lengthened and he shrunk to the ground as a dog. Seconds later he found himself returning to his normal shape, powers too weak to sustain Snuffles for more then a few seconds. He groaned, clutching at his emaciated face and obsessively attempting to organise his thoughts.  
  
He had to escape.  
  
He was at Hogwarts.  
  
He had to escape because Peter was at Hogwarts.  
  
He had to escape because Harry was at Hogwarts.  
  
Harry Potter. James and Lily's son...his Godson, the only person who mattered.  
  
If Peter delivered Harry to Voldemort, wherever the dark lord was, then his victory would be complete....and everyone who had ever meant anything to Sirius would be no more.  
  
*  
  
Sirius crawled along the floor, and clambered onto his bed, curling under the sheet and facing away from the cells entrance. His eyelids began to close and he found himself drifting into a world of dreams. As if not a day had passed he was back on that street.....the year was 1981. Hapless Muggles, ignorant to their imminent deaths wondered around in a daze talking to one another without a trouble in the world. But there, amongst them.....staring back at him stood Peter Pettigrew.  
  
"Why Peter?" Sirius asked as he stared into Pettigrew's small watery eyes.  
  
"I don't understand?"  
  
"You know what I'm talking about. Lily and James....they're..."  
  
"There was a Fidelius Charm Sirius, you were their secret keeper" Pettigrew replied feigning innocence.  
  
Sirius stepped forwards, ignoring the Muggles, his eyes angrily staring into Peter's.  
  
"How dare you accuse me...."  
  
Peter raised his voice causing the nearby muggles to cease their movement and turn their attention towards the duo.  
  
"Lily and James, Sirius! How could you?"  
  
At that exact same moment, they both went for their wands. Sirius reached for his inside pocket and raised the wand ready to curse his former friend, but it was too late. Peter had whipped his wand from his back pocket and blasted a jet of light several metres behind him, blowing apart the street and filling the air with choking fumes.  
  
Sirius screamed and flung his hand over his face, dropping his wand. Through the dust, just in front of him, he could see Peter struggling with a knife in his hand. Sirius coughed the smoke out of his lungs and walked towards him. Peter squealed and threw aside his cloak and the knife, transforming and disappearing down the crater.  
  
Sirius coughed again and blinked.  
  
"HE'S AT HOGWARTS"  
  
He awoke with a startle, mouthing the words quietly. "He's at Hogwarts"  
  
Enough time had passed. It was time to escape and finish what had begun so long ago. Using all of his strength, Sirius threw himself downwards, transforming on the way into his canine Animagus form. The dementors were entirely ignorant to what was occurring in the cell as Sirius slipped through the bars with ease and started to run, faster then he had ever run in his life....his four legs bounding forward, pushing his undernourished body out of the main fortress and down the winding stone steps.  
  
When he reached the bottom, he stood for a moment looking intently over towards the evening lights of Plymouth. With no hesitation he leaped into the water, and started the long journey back towards the mainland.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED.... 


	3. RemBow

A/N- I have decided to spread the final massive chapter over 3 different mini-chapters. So if things carry on as they are, the story will conclude at the end of Chapter 5. Thank you as always to those who reviewed my story, it is appreciated greatly. Some people have expressed a concern though that despite being allegedly serious, the story is too funny....I cannot be blamed for this!!! I just naturally like adding humour to the characters; it makes the whole thing more interesting then if it was endlessly cynical. Consider this chapter slightly rushed! I admit it this freely, it is completely irrelevant to the stories overall plot, who cares.....I just felt like writing a chapter where nothing happened!!!! ________________________________________________  
  
Chapter III  
  
"Moony you are my Rembow"  
  
Sirius had no idea why he said it, but it was something that needed to be said. Possibly the loneliness of being a dog for the daylight hours was getting to him. Sure, it was nice to have Muggle children tossing him unwanted junk food and patting him on the head every now and then, but Sirius craved some attention from someone he knew, and Remus Lupin was the only Marauder left who he would be able to engage in a conversation without whacking in the face.  
  
Anyway, fantasies of whacking Peter aside, Sirius had spent the last 3 days living as that enigmatic and lovable stray dog on the streets of Plymouth.  
  
The swim from Azkaban had been tough, but as a dog, easier then it would've been otherwise. It had taken two hours in total, but as each second passed and he travelled further from the fortress island he felt his anxieties and pain drift away.  
  
Sirius Black, Sirius White, Sirius Green, Sirius Blue, Sirius Yellow, Sirius Purple.  
  
Nothing more then a pointless memory now, the constant nights of colours flashing through his mind were gone forever.....hopefully. Sirius couldn't help but remain pessimistic that one day they would drag him back to Azkaban kicking and screaming, his sanity leaking away every step of the journey.  
  
He was going nowhere yet though, not until his mission was complete. Not until Peter Pettigrew was lying in a morgue.  
  
It was bad enough for Harry to be at threat from one of Voldemort's supporters, but it was even worse when Sirius thought of the embarrassment to Gryffindor if a 3rd year was killed by fat talentless Pettigrew, who used to struggle to outwit comatose Flobberworms.  
  
The goal of destroying Pettigrew was a long way off though, but Sirius still found himself obsessively entertaining the notion as he lay messily eating an abandoned Big Mac in Plymouth city centre. He knew that if he returned to his default human form he would be caught instantly.  
  
He had already sighted the Auror's wondering the streets of the city by night interrogating the homeless Muggles for information, so it was too risky to attempt changing until their search had moved northwards. Then, he would keep a few towns behind....slowly making his way up through the country until he reached Hogwarts. There he would find the proof of his innocence, and would walk as a free man once again.  
  
For the time being he had to put up with just being a free dog.  
  
Not exactly something to boast to your friends about, but he was still free....unlike the rest of those poor bastards languishing in Azkaban waiting for their appointment with insanity and eventually death. The dementors actively encouraged suicide. Suicide meant an empty cell. An empty cell meant a new prisoner. A new prisoner meant someone new to feed on. New emotions to extract.  
  
The Ministry were furious, but Sirius knew deep down that the dementors were glad he had gone. Though their proficiency as guards was now in doubt, when Sirius was eventually dragged back to his cell they would have the essence of his crushed hope to play with....a new feeling to sample.  
  
Padfoot finished his burger and used his front paws to toss the wrapper into a plastic bin. An elderly passer-by raised an eyebrow, and did a double take as Sirius trotted off back down the road.  
  
Had that dog just disposed of his own rubbish?  
  
The elderly passer-by would never know the truth, because Sirius was already in the distance, walking briskly past a supermarket.  
  
*  
  
Peter Pettigrew sat in a dusty and dilapidated armchair in the corner of the shrieking shack. He ate a fried chicken wing with his left hand, his right hand held a newspaper in front of his face. It was extremely rare for Peter to return to his human form, but he had taken this rare opportunity to sneak into Hogsmeade during Ron Weasley's Potions lesson and read the Daily Prophet.  
  
BLACK STILL AT LARGE  
  
"Sirius Black, possibly the most infamous prisoner ever to be held in Azkaban fortress, is still eluding capture, the Ministry of Magic confirmed today. 'We are doing all we can to recapture Black,' said the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, this morning, 'and we beg the magical community to remain calm.' Fudge has been criticised by some members of the International Federation of Warlocks for informing the Muggle Prime Minister of the crisis. 'Well, really, I had to, don't you know,' said an irritable. Fudge. 'Black is mad. He's a danger to anyone who crosses him, magic or Muggle. I have the Prime Minister's assurance that he will not breathe a word of Black's true identity to anyone. And let's face it - who'd believe him if he did?' While Muggles have been told that Black is carrying a gun (a kind of metal wand which Muggles use to kill each other), the magical community lives in fear of a massacre like that of twelve years ago, when Black murderer thirteen people with a single curse.'  
  
Next to the article, there was a passport sized photograph of Black. He wasn't smiling, but instead just staring directly out of the camera though the tangle of beard. As he caught Sirius' eye, Peter Pettigrew shuddered.  
  
"So....Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban" Peter muttered, a combined feeling of fear and annoyance audible in his voice.  
  
Peter tried to think of himself as brave when he smartly escaped from Black's wrath 12 years previously, but deep down he knew the same as Sirius....he was a pathetic excuse for a human being, who wished desperately that he hadn't betrayed his friends.  
  
"Maybe If I tell the truth, they'll forgive me for betraying Lily and James" he spoke quietly, not realising that he was vocalising his thoughts.  
  
"After all, because of me....the dark lord disappeared."  
  
Peter threw aside the remains of his chicken wing and folded up the paper, praising himself.  
  
"Maybe they'll even give me an award for playing a part in destroying him" he gleefully squealed, his delusional behaviour causing him to shout a little louder then necessary. Sadly though, Peter knew the truth. Sirius was coming to kill him. Sirius didn't care about the dark lord; he was coming to kill him because he betrayed the Marauders and the Order of the Phoenix.  
  
With no hesitation, Peter transformed into Wormtail and scurried off back down the tunnel towards Hogwarts.  
  
Meanwhile, down the road, a middle-aged witch was pushing a trolley full of books along.  
  
"For gods sake, won't those ghosts ever shut up!"  
  
TO BE CONTINUED.... 


	4. October 10th

Authors note- this story is intended to be read whilst listening to 'The Breaking of the Fellowship" by Howard Shore from the 'Fellowship of the ring' score. In the event this track is unavailable, please use alternatives including 'Mad World' by Michael Andrews from the Donnie Darko soundtrack or possibly something like the Shawshank Redemption theme. Sorry this chapter has been so long coming, but these are busy days. Not really sure where the story will end up, but I know where it is going for the time being. Please Review!!!! Also, some people may notice I have bypassed the August 7th 1993 scene where Snuffles shows up at Privet Drive just before the Knight Bus arrives. I am aware of this; I just couldn't be bothered to write it ;)  
  
* Chapter IV  
  
October 10th 1993  
  
It was a cold afternoon. It wasn't winter, but the temperature was fickle and constantly vacillating. One moment, crumpled against a metal trashcan down an abandoned dingy alleyway, Sirius found cold winds entering his every orifice and freezing his mind....the next, the wind had ceased its activity and the moonlight almost illuminated a new heat and strength in him....always powered by the constant fascination, fixation, enthralment....whatever you want to call it....the continuous obsession with slowly ending the life of Peter Pettigrew.  
  
Sirius hope for the future had lost none of its potency regardless of the bad food, abysmal accommodation and less-then-friendly attitude he was receiving on the streets of London.  
  
Yes, that's right....London. The journey had been made over the course of a month. Not days, like a normal muggle...... Sirius powers were still weak after his escape. 12 years without a wand is a long period of time, and the ability to apparate would be too difficult to re-master with dozens of Auror's on a constant look out for the briefest of appearances. What if something went wrong? What if he apparated and ended up in the wrong place? Too risky. So the journey had been made the old fashioned way. Well, the old fashioned way for a man whose many talents included animagi abilities. As Snuffles, he could follow the motorways on the hard shoulder, picking up light meaty snacks from the Little Chef's at service stations every few miles. The noise of the traffic, especially with his heightened canine senses was deafening, but the sheer glorious freedom of walking alone as cars flew by at 80 miles an hour was enough of an adrenaline rush to make anyone's day complete, especially a man who had spent the last decade mostly in one room.  
  
To use a hackneyed and clichéd expression, it really hit home when Sirius thought honestly about the things he hadn't experienced. Men, woman, children, animals....all just living life routinely. Watching television, seeing movies, hosting dinner parties. And whilst the world revelled in the triviality of these experiences, he had been living a much harsher and more brutal life. Whilst the people he once knew were going to work every morning, buying fruit from a town market....whatever......he had spent 12 years locked away from his freedom, restricted to a life of confusion and pain where only the hope and fantasy of revenge could keep a mans mind from breaking.  
  
And now, with Azkaban hundreds of miles behind him, Sirius could engage in these pointless but entertaining activities that the rest of the world's population enjoyed so much.  
  
As he walked, he found his large brown eyes glancing upwards, through the shaggy black fur and deep into the sky. The clouds floated in the deep blue abyss of the heavens, without a care in the world. Sirius couldn't help but compare himself to them. Ridiculous....pointless.....maybe.....probably. But he was free, and he was alive and he would do whatever the hell he liked.  
  
Snuffles let out a loud bark of happiness, and increased his speed along the hard shoulder, his tongue hanging out limply and salivating all over the side of the road.  
  
There was a Little Chef up ahead.  
  
*  
  
Kingsley Shacklebolt appeared suddenly at one end of a long hallway. The ceiling a rich shade of peacock blue, the floor dark and heavily polished. On the walls to either side stood several fireplaces, all filled with a constantly burning flame, which would occasionally give way to emerging witches and wizards arriving for work. Shacklebolt would usually apparate directly to his office, but lately work had been busy and he enjoyed the short walk to the Auror Headquarters every morning. It gave him an opportunity to spend time walking past walls not covered with the same face, and on a good day he may even be able to have a brief chat with a friend.  
  
He walked leisurely past the fountain and towards the short queue at the golden gates. He waited for a moment as the usual security measures were implemented, then a few seconds later; Shacklebolt was waiting outside the large lift.  
  
The line really wasn't worth the effort, and with a quick disgruntled pop Kingsley disappeared, and instantly reappeared in his cluttered cubicle. Usually, he succeeded in keeping his work area tidy. Infact, he was possessed by the idea.....keeping things neat made it certain that things would get found. Keeping things neat, keeping the files sorted made it certain that Sirius Black would be found. All it required was good old fashioned detective work.  
  
Black had only escaped a few days ago, but the hunt was only just beginning. It took a few hours for word of his escape to reach the Ministry. The dementors were slow on such things. If only a creature whose skills included the use of owls could be hired in future.  
  
Anyway, Black's escape had made the job a lot more hectic of late. 13 years since 'You Know Who' was destroyed and now finally the Auror's were getting something to do. November 1981....things were chaos. He had only been 22; a veritable rookie of the job compared to some of the aged Auror's who were around back then. Ageism seemed to have gripped the Ministry lately. Fudge tried to force any Auror over the age of 50 into retirement, citing them as being 'too old for a job of such physical difficulty'. Back in 1981 though, the older, the tougher. Bringing in Voldemort's supporters had claimed a lot of lives, and Kingsley himself had been lucky to get away without any scars.  
  
Having Black back on the loose was a grim reminder of those dark days. His skeletal facial structure glared down emotionlessly from the walls, and the newspaper clippings that were slowly being accumulated, all contained that same irritatingly bland stare from Black's cold lifeless eyes. He sat in his wooden chair....once a recliner, until a visiting Fudge accidentally broke it.....when the clock hit 9AM an orderly entered swiftly and handed him a polystyrene cup of black coffee. Kingsley tried to explain that he wanted milk, but the orderly's trolley had already exited and was off down the corridor.  
  
Sighing, he attempted to lean back in his chair, remembering just in time that the recliner spring was broken, and barely avoiding an embarrassing fall. He placed the coffee down on his desk, and began flipping through his mail.  
  
It was going to be a long day.  
  
*  
  
Sirius stood in the Little Chef toilet attempting to work the urinal. Each time his hand waved past the sensor, a small flood of water washed down into the bowl disposing of any waste that may have exited his body a short while beforehand. These muggle inventions were fascinating. No magic, just practical thinking.  
  
He left through the open window, climbing out into a bed of vegetation. After a quick glance at a cheap £1 map he had purchased from a vending machine, he transformed into Snuffles and briskly walked back out of the service station and onto the road.  
  
He was getting closer.  
  
Within a few hours, the road had reached a seeming dead-end. Muggles saw a ditch followed by a dark forest; anyone endowed with magical powers saw something quite different. In the far distance, miles and miles away stood the highest tower of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, just about visible if one craned their head far enough back and had a clear line of sight.  
  
The walk was long and hard, over terrain much tougher then smooth concrete paths and roads, but the will of a wronged man is strong, and as a dog he was efficiently speedy regardless of the territory. Eventually he reached his location, his padded feet pushing his body over the steepness of a hill, revealing in all its glory Hogwarts sitting at the bottom, surrounded by the scenic great lake.  
  
Seeing it again after so long was an unusual feeling. Emotions in turmoil, Sirius changed back into his human form, and stood alone looking over the school in silence. He gazed downwards at his tattered prison uniform, tears flowing from the corners of his eyes without permission. How he wished he could turn back time, and be wearing a black cloak and Gryffindor badge again......before patterned ink had been injected into his chest. And most importantly of all.......before James and Lily had been murdered.  
  
Wiping away the tears impassively, Sirius shrunk back down to the ground as the shaggy black dog and plodded off down the hill towards the school.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED....... 


	5. Halloween & Quidditch

I'll be the first to admit I don't particularly like this chapter. Many continuity errors regarding the book, for example.....how does Sirius transfigure something if he doesn't have a wand!!!!! I didn't like writing it much because I was too busy thinking about the chapters that follow on afterwards. It's more about laying the groundwork for the coolness of Shrieking Shack! Chapter 6 will deal with the scene where he scares the crap out of Ron, and then Chapters 7, 8, 9 the events surrounding and concluding the Shrieking Shack; Chapter 10 will be an epilogue to end the story.  
  
Despite my own personal reservations, enjoy this chapter! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, appreciated as always. I am obsessed with reviews. I love them.  
  
***************************  
  
Chapter V  
  
It was 3 weeks since Sirius arrived at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He had spent his time mostly in Animagus form, wondering the forbidden forest and surviving on meagre snacks and food brought to him by his newest friend.  
  
This 'friend' was unusual though, and his uniqueness made him the perfect companion for a dog whose intelligence was far in advance of all other forest creatures.  
  
It was a cat.  
  
Conversation was impossible, but an effective form of animal communication had been developed over the first few days. Sirius had learnt through observation that the cat's owner was a third year Gryffindor student of the school, a female. The same year as Harry Potter. The same house as Harry Potter. Though not yet in any position physically to make his move, Sirius began to play scenarios and ideas in his mind as to how this girl and her pet could be manipulated. He needed to draw them away from the teaching staff and find the exact location of the boy who was in possession of Peter Pettigrew.  
  
But he was making progress, and that was his priority. The first man to ever escape from Azkaban prison had made it up North and was sheltering quite comfortably in a small hollow underneath a tree.  
  
Changing back into human form would be dangerous. The dementors had been released, and though they only guarded the school entrance itself he could feel their presence, even as Padfoot. They were angry. Angry that their integrity as prison guards had come into question and nothing would be better at restoring that integrity then the swift capture of Sirius Black, followed by the removal of his soul via some mouth-to-mouth action. Sirius couldn't speak for the dementors, but he definitely wasn't all that hot on the idea.  
  
Eitherway, the cat had become quite skilled at stealthily making his way back into the forest with food.  
  
Sirius' attempts to breach the castle had so far been mostly unsuccessful though. On the 31st October. He had successfully made his way past the dementors with ease; past Hagrid's old hut too and up into Gryffindor tower. It was Halloween, and the students and teachers were all occupied in the main hall with a feast. Sadly, his attempt to gain access had been thwarted by the fat lady.  
  
Yes, the fat lady. 20 years on and Sirius was delighted to find she sat quite contentedly in her frame at the entrance to the common room. Just one sheet of canvas and wood between Sirius and Peter Pettigrew. Access to the common room meant access to the dormitories, and then it would be adios Peter. Sirius would just hide beneath one of the beds, ready to pop out and assimilate his enemy when he showed himself.  
  
Anyway, that was how things were *supposed* to work, but the fat lady's exasperating obstinacy in allowing him access to the room was infuriating. He had no password, and subsequently had no method of gaining entry.  
  
In a fit of anger before storming off, he transfigured a nearby candle into a knife and slashed the portrait fiercely, allowing the strips of canvas to rain down onto the carpet ruining the painting indefinitely. The fat lady had screamed of course and attempted to run off. Perhaps if she had made an effort over the prior two decades to take a moment on a treadmill, she would have been in a better physical condition to escape unharmed. Angry and irate, Sirius had retreated back into the forest.  
  
And there he sat now, leaning in the hollow of his tree, scraping his initials into the bark with his newly acquired weapon.  
  
Bitterly disappointed and painfully bored, he did not risk venturing out again for another week. On the 6th of November, the temperature was low and wind was crashing against the foliage, making the woods practically uninhabitable unless Sirius had a death wish. Not in the mood to be flattened by a falling tree he left the forest and wondered over to the Quidditch pitch, curious as to the commotion that was erupting. In the far distance, high above, several shadowy figures were swooping through the air on broomsticks, various balls whizzing around with them.  
  
Eager for a closer look, Padfoot ran towards the bottom of the stairs leading to the stands, and ran quickly upwards. When he reached the top, there was fortunately an empty row of chairs behind the screaming first year children, and he clambered up to lean on the plastic seating. Though under the thick fog and rain it was difficult to see, he could just about make out the colours of Hufflepuff and Slytherin. And there, among the other players, he could just about see the black outline of a boy who bared an extraordinary resemblance to James Potter.  
  
Despite being a dog, Sirius' eyes opened wider in surprise then they ever had before, as he gleefully watched his supposed Godson zooming around the pitch like a trained professional.  
  
His joy was not to last though, and as quickly as he arrived he found himself obliged to leave.  
  
Why ruin the moment?  
  
It was inevitable the children in front would see him soon and he would rather leave with his dignity, having seen his Godson for the first time, then leave under a mound of excitable children all desperate to pat him on the head. He could feel the dementors too. They could sense something unusual. They didn't know the truth, but they felt something. Had Sirius not been an animagi, they would have swarmed the stadium before he even got a chance to reach it.  
  
Sirius Black, Sirius White, Sirius Green, Sirius Blue, Sirius Yellow, Sirius Purple.  
  
He left before the manic thoughts could take control, as they almost had done in Azkaban. He casually walked off back down the stairs and into the woods again, as the dementors began to slowly close in on the pitch.  
  
*  
  
The months drew on. Minute-by-minute, hour-by-hour, day-by-day. Sirius was used enough to the slow movement of time, having experienced so many years of imprisonment.  
  
Even when Christmas came along again, he sat alone in his shelter, thinking of the past.  
  
As thoughtful as ever, he put in an order for Harry's present - a new broomstick - sent to the Owl Office with instructions for the gold to be removed from his own vault  
  
Finally, after a lifetime of repetitive monotony, on the morning of February 4th, Sirius awoke hastily as a gingery ball of fluff landed on his chest with a scrap of parchment in its mouth. He removed it quickly and began to read. In black ink a boy had written the word 'Oddsbodikins'. As Sirius contemplated the meaning of the word, he looked downwards at the cat.  
  
It nodded.  
  
A mutual understanding between the two suddenly appeared. This word was the week's password for the Gryffindor dormitory. Sirius smiled maliciously. Who would think that such a ridiculous sounding word could be such a vital component to fulfilling Sirius' greatest fantasies. That night, when the moon was hidden behind the clouds, and even Dumbledore was fast asleep, Sirius would have his revenge on Peter Pettigrew.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED..... 


	6. Blurred Perspectives

Author's note - This chapter's predecessor was very annoying to write because there was so little creative freedom. This one was a little better, as the scene is quite ambiguous in the book. Thank you to all reviewers, keep reviewing.....never stop reviewing!!! I make my best efforts to read your stories from start to finish, I really do. If I forget, just send me an email and I'd be delighted to take a look.  
  
On a personal note, I really, really like this chapter. The blurring of previously written material and new stuff is just so much fun to play about with. _______________________________________________________________  
  
Chapter VI  
  
It was the literal middle of the night. Not late evening, not early morning, but the middle of the night in the unembellished sense. Even Severus Snape lay fast asleep on his bed, his blue nightcap pressed lightly against his long greasy hair.  
  
The castle was so quiet.....so still.....that even the spirits themselves were silenced by it. Peeves floated harmlessly and peacefully down in the dungeons, for once causing little mischief. And up in the Gryffindor dormitories, Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas all slept soundly. Each lying in the centre of their huge four-poster beds, each with the drapes tightly closed around them.  
  
Sirius stalked slowly up the stairs of the tower, his knife hanging from his left hand and the scrap of paper from his right. He reached the Gryffindor common room entrance with ease, having spent his childhood years practically living in there.  
  
The fat lady was gone, unsurprisingly, and has been replaced by a strange knight who was waving around a spear expertly. Reading the password clearly, the portrait swung open after a moment's hesitation, and Sirius found himself inside the common room. It was a mess.  
  
Masses of multicoloured streamers and abandoned party food littered the floor and tables, but thankfully the party had long since ended, and not a single student lay awake. The dying fire was still lit and the carpet was stained with spilled drinks, but it was quiet.......and that was all that mattered.  
  
Leaning over to stuff his pockets with some of the discarded food, Sirius slowly made his way across the room and towards the right hand staircase that would lead to the 3rd year male dormitory. The claret carpet of the common room ended, and he found himself making his way slowly up the cold stone steps.......the moonlight shining in through the windows and illuminating his shadow against the wall.  
  
The steps winded upwards, steps that he had spent his childhood gleefully playing on.......but now, his intentions were far from innocent. His goal was not to reveal Peter's presence and prove his innocence, but instead to brutally murder Pettigrew and flee back into the night. After Wormtail was dead, nothing would matter. He would be obsolete......his mission in life completed. He could go where he wanted; he could do what he wanted.  
  
Having his soul removed would be a tranquil and pleasant ending to his life, because in those last few moments as all his memories were removed forever, the one, which would linger longest would be that of retribution.  
  
Sirius stuffed the scrap of paper with the passwords back into his pocket, and tightened his grip on the knife. He reached the top, and found himself confronted with the five huge four- poster beds, surrounded by deep red-velvet drapes.  
  
Sirius stepped forward, raising his knife and glanced down at the huge trunks on the ground. The white label on the nearest read 'RON WEASLEY'. Sirius stopped momentarily, recollecting the name from his newspaper article. It was too dark to draw it out and check, but he was confident this was the boy who currently owned Wormtail. Not hesitating, Sirius strode forward and ripped into the velvet drapes, looking around desperately for that scurrying movement of a rat, but it didn't come.  
  
He slashed again, and the ginger haired boy on the bed rolled over. Outside, the sky rumbled and lightning struck, filling the room for a split second with a bright flash in which Sirius made eye contact with the now- awake boy. They stared at each other in silence for a moment, before Sirius turned abruptly and fled......the boy's screams filling the air.  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGHHHHH! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"  
  
The image of the boy's terrified face etched into his memory forever, he could hear voices behind him as he sprinted down the stairs back into the common room, and then threw himself out of the portrait door and down the corridor.  
  
Transforming as he ran, his canine legs bounded forward, several steps at a time and he soon reached the statue of the one-eyed witch. Transforming back, he whispered "Dissendium", her hump opened and he leaped through the narrow opening, transforming back yet again and running off down the alleyway. Exhausted and sweating heavily into his shaggy coat, he eventually stumbled out into the basement of Honeydukes in Hogsmeade village. It had been years since he had last taken this route to exit the school, but under the circumstances, he had no choice.  
  
Using his final ounce of energy to transform back into a human one last time, he fell downward against a barrel and into a deep sleep. He had failed. Pettigrew was still alive.  
  
*  
  
Over the following months, Sirius felt a distinct embarrassment and dent to his pride whenever he relieved the events of that night. It had, in essence, been a disaster. He had come close to being caught, and had been seen in what was evidently an extremely compromising position by the ginger boy.  
  
For 4 months Sirius lived alone again in the forest, with yet again his thoughts being his only companion. He found the fantasies of multicoloured surnames surging through his dreams again, even though the dementors were far away. No longer were organic creatures provoking his madness.  
  
It was now being provoked by his loneliness.  
  
The ginger cat was helpful. It continued to bring food and helped collect water from the lake. Sirius had almost given up hope though, and spent his days leaning in the tree hollow ignorant to the goings on in the world.  
  
In early June, the cat brought word of exams at the school. At first Sirius brushed away the thought of acting whilst the teachers would be so prominently active, but the thought of giving it one last shot was too tempting to resist.  
  
So on the evening of June 6th, he tidied his makeshift shelter, and set out towards the school. He was either going to succeed or fail. Twice he had tried and been unsuccessful in striking down Peter, but as they say.....3rd time lucky. He would rather accept the consequences of failure then return to the forest to keep trying again.  
  
Having his soul removed by a dementor would probably be healthier then spending the rest of his life alone in a wood.  
  
*  
  
Darkness was falling, and the light was fading from the sky. Crookshanks, the ginger cat, walked slowly across the grassy fields scouting for teachers. Padfoot followed, a hundred metres behind, and cautiously keeping a close look out.  
  
Then......out of the shadows came a sound. Squeals, loud squeals, loud enough to instantly alert Sirius to the presence of a rat.  
  
The cat had also noticed, and continued to walk forwards slowly.  
  
Suddenly, in the distance, the rat appeared out of nowhere. Flying through the air and landing on the ground, scampering away at high speed. A second later, the ginger boy also appeared, and pelted after him.  
  
Just as things were getting confusing, ANOTHER two children appeared seemingly out of midair and gave chase after the rat.  
  
"Get away from him - get away - Scabbers, come here-"  
  
The air was filled with a mixture of shouts and squeals as the boy leaned over and stuffed the rat into his pocket. A brief respite almost signalled the end of the situation, but not until Sirius had claimed his prize.  
  
He bounded out towards them, no longer caring for the consequences, only caring about one thing.  
  
Pettigrew.  
  
A wand was drawn, but not fast enough for Sirius, who slammed it aside and then sprang onto the ginger boy.  
  
His animalistic instinct taking over, he opened his jaws and closed them over the boys arm, the other two children grabbing and pulling at his back.  
  
Meanwhile, the Whomping Willow had become involved in the brawl, and leaned over, striking the bushy haired girl to the ground. Sirius tightened his grip on the boys arm and pounced for the gap in the roots of the tree.  
  
He would head for the Shack.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED....... 


	7. The Shrieking Shack: Part 1

Authors Note- Snape does wear a nightcap, and never doubt it. This chapter was by far the toughest to write so far. Don't be fooled by the fact the dialogue and description is mostly Rowling's, it was extremely tough and time consuming to adapt and re-write from Sirius perspective. Eitherway, I think it's a pretty fun little chapter, and slowly begins to draw the story to its eventual conclusion.  
  
Also, why is it so hard to write Remus and Sirius as non-gays when they are together? I finally have sympathy for those fluff obsessives. I think I just about pulled it off though......just. No gayness in THIS story! ______________________________________________________  
  
Chapter VII  
  
June 6th 1994  
  
The boy's leg had broken as they had entered the tunnel, making him docile and easier to drag along. Sirius was fast as Padfoot, and soon reached the end, emerging into the dusty and disorderly lounge of the Shrieking Shack. He transformed, and hoisted the moaning boy over his shoulder, heading upstairs into the bedroom. He could hear Crookshanks, the cat, following from behind, and the voices of the other two children in the distance.  
  
In an unequalled sense of triumphant confusion, Sirius threw the ginger boy to the ground next to the bed, and stepped backwards into the shadows. A moment later, Harry Potter and his female companion burst through the door and into the room. Ignoring their brief discussion, Sirius slammed the door and walked back into the light revealing himself fully, for the first time, to the small group.  
  
Sirius, Harry, the girl, the ginger boy and Peter were alone together for the first time.  
  
Sirius grinned delightedly. For a long while now his heart had desired this scenarios occurrence. One way or another, Peter Pettigrew was not going to survive the night.  
  
He lifted the ginger boys wand and croaked "Expelliarmus", uttering his first wand spell in many years. His natural skill was undiminished though and the children's wands flew out of their hands, easily caught by Sirius a moment later.  
  
He stepped forwards, even closer to Harry, staring at his scar and still grinning.  
  
"I thought you'd come and help your friend," he spoke hoarsely. "Your father would have done the same for me. Brave of you, not to run for a teacher. I'm grateful.....it will make everything much easier".  
  
Sirius glanced downwards from the scar to the boy's eyes. Lily's eyes.....or a remarkably similar pair anyway. Much to Sirius' surprise, Harry suddenly lept forwards angrily, but was quickly restrained by his two colleagues.  
  
"No Harry!" The girl whispered in his ear.  
  
Sirius looked on bemusedly as the ginger boy staggered to his feet and addressed him.  
  
"If you want to kill Harry, you'll have to kill us, too!"  
  
"Lie down, you will damage that leg even more"  
  
"Did you hear me?" The ginger boy replied accusingly. "You'll have to kill all three of us!"  
  
Sirius raised his eyebrow curiously at this strange boy who was willing to give his life.  
  
"There'll only be one murder here tonight." Sirius smiled weakly as he spoke. He lacked the energy to fully embrace the moment, but he knew what was coming and looked forward to it hugely.  
  
"Why's that?" Harry bellowed whilst trying to pull himself free of his friends. "Didn't care last time did you? Didn't mind slaughtering all those Muggles to get at Pettigrew........what's the matter, gone soft in Azkaban?"  
  
As the girl again tried to quietly calm him, Harry broke free of her restraint and lunged at Sirius. The next few seconds were a mess of fists and screams. At one point Crookshanks lept into the fray biting and scratching, but by the end Sirius found himself sprawled against the wall breathing rapidly as Harry approached him slowly, with a wand pointing directly towards his chest.  
  
"Going to kill me, Harry?" he whispered.  
  
Sirius felt blood running down his nose as Harry stopped abruptly.  
  
"You killed my parents". The boys voice was shaky and he was close to tears.  
  
"I don't deny it", Sirius replied as he made eye contact, "But if you knew the whole story....."  
  
"The whole story? You sold them to Voldemort, that's all I need to know!"  
  
"You've got to listen to me", Sirius quickly spoke, even noticing the urgency in his own voice. "You'll regret it if you don't, you don't understand...."  
  
"I understand a lot better than you think. You never heard her, did you? My mum.......trying to stop Voldemort killing me.....and you did that......you did it."  
  
Reeling from the emotion in the boy's voice, Sirius barely noticed as Crookshanks ran over and leaped onto his chest. A furry barrier between the wand and his body.  
  
"Get off", he murmured, a little annoyed at the cats interruption. Crookshanks didn't move an inch. Sirius ignored the animal entirely and turned his gaze back up towards Harry. The boy had raised his wand fully, frozen and poised to strike at any moment.  
  
The atmosphere was broken by a new sound of barely audible footsteps, only noticeable due to the vibrations they caused in the wooden shack. Nobody moved as the footsteps became louder.  
  
Suddenly, the girl screamed at the top of her voice, placing her hands around her mouth to echo her noise.  
  
"WE'RE UP HERE. WE'RE UP HERE - SIRIUS BLACK - QUICK!"  
  
Sirius desperately rolled to the side, sending Crookshanks flying away. Before he could make any sort of escape though, the door flew open in a shower of red sparks and Sirius found himself staring at a scuffed pair of brown leather shoes. His gaze peered upwards from the ground to a shabby grey suit and finally the lined face of Remus Lupin, terribly aged over the last decade but looking alert and ready.  
  
"Expelliarmus" Lupin shouted, and every wand in the room flew into his outstretched hand. Crookshanks crawled protectively back over his chest as Lupin analysed the situation from the doorway.  
  
Then Lupin spoke, in a quiet voice filled with suppressed emotion. "Where is he, Sirius?"  
  
Sirius stared on expressionlessly; trying to figure out what Remus was talking about. Then it hit him, Moony knew the truth. He slowly raised his hand and pointed at the ginger boy on the bed. The boy with the rat.  
  
Everyone in the room simultaneously turned to face the boy.  
  
Lupin meanwhile was muttering to himself incomprehensively "But then....why hasn't he shown himself before now?"  
  
He turned and stared at Sirius as he spoke, trying to read the situation. Then, as though unexpectedly the truth had been fully revealed, his eyes widened. "Unless * he * was the one.......unless you switched......without telling me?"  
  
Sirius nodded at Remus. His friend believed him. He didn't know whether he should feel happy or relieved or sad. His thought processes were again interrupted by a child's voice.  
  
"Professor Lupin, what's going......"  
  
Harry's words were ignored because Lupin was busy lowering his wand and helping Sirius to his feet. Crookshanks fell to the ground, forgotten, as the two men embraced each other like brothers. In that moment of happiness, Sirius forgot about the 12 years that had passed since their last meeting and felt his need for revenge on Peter contagiously passing over to Remus.  
  
The children were still shouting in the background, but their voices were ignored until the girls repeated screams of "I DON'T BELIEVE IT!" reached an annoyingly high volume level.  
  
The embrace ended and Lupin turned to face the girl.  
  
"You - you -"  
  
"Hermione"  
  
"- You and him!"  
  
"Hermione, calm down-"  
  
"I didn't tell anyone! I've been covering up for you-"  
  
"Hermione, listen to me please! Lupin shouted pleadingly. "I can explain-"  
  
Harry joined the argument, and began throwing an angry torrent of abuse towards Remus, much to Sirius confusion.  
  
"I trusted you! And all the time you've been his friend!"  
  
"You're wrong!" Lupin replied. "I haven't been Sirius's friend for twelve years, but I am now.....let me explain.  
  
"NO!" The girl screamed, "Harry, don't trust him, he's been helping Black get into the castle, he wants you dead too - he's a werewolf!"  
  
Silence filled the room as the realisation of this statement hit those ignorant to Lupin's dual identity. Finally, Remus himself broke the silence in his usual calm voice.  
  
"Not at all up to your usual standard, Hermione, only one out of three, I'm afraid. I have not been helping Sirius get into the castle and I certainly don't want Harry dead.......But I won't deny that I am a werewolf."  
  
The ginger boy attempted to sit up again, but fell backwards with a whimper of pain. Lupin made over to help him, but ceased his movement as the boy gasped "Get away from me, werewolf!" Lupin stopped dead and turned to the girl, Hermione, again.  
  
"How long have you known?"  
  
"Ages", she replied "Since I did Professor.Snape's essay."  
  
"He'll be delighted. He set that essay hoping someone would realise what my symptoms meant. Did you check the lunar chart and realise that I was always ill at the full moon? Or did you realise that the Boggart changed into the moon when it saw me?"  
  
"Both"  
  
Lupin laughed feebly. "You're the cleverest witch of you age I've ever met, Hermione"  
  
"I'm not," she whispered, "If I'd been a bit cleverer, I'd have told everyone what you are!"  
  
"But they already know. At least, the staff do"  
  
The ginger boy sat up fully this time, frowning. "Dumbledore hired you when he knew you were a werewolf? Is he mad?"  
  
"Some of the staff thought so. He had to work very hard to convince certain teachers that I'm trustworthy.  
  
Harry entered the conversation again, his words an outpouring of emotion and anger. "AND HE WAS WRONG. YOU'VE BEEN HELPING HIM ALL THE TIME. He pointed at Sirius, who was now leaning against the four-poster bed with Crookshanks.  
  
"I have NOT been helping Sirius," said Lupin. "If you'll give me a chance, I'll explain. Look-"  
  
Lupin handed each wand back to their stunned owners.  
  
"There," he said coolly as he stuck his own wand back into his belt. "You're armed, we're not. Now will you listen?"  
  
"If you haven't been helping him," Harry spat with a furious glance towards Sirius, "how did you know he was here?"  
  
"The map," said Lupin. "The Marauders Map. I was in my office examining it- "  
  
"You know how to work it?" Harry said suspiciously.  
  
"Of course I know how to work it," said Lupin, waving his hand impatiently. "I helped write it. I'm Moony - that was my friends' nickname for me at school."  
  
Sirius smiled, remembering the more innocent days of childhood and the various adventures of the Marauders.  
  
"The important thing is, I was watching it carefully this evening, because I had an idea that you, Ron and Hermione might try and sneak out of the castle to visit Hagrid before his Hippogriff was executed. And I was right, wasn't I?"  
  
Lupin began to pace around the room, kicking up dust with his feet.  
  
"You might have been wearing your father's old Cloak, Harry-"  
  
"How d'you know about the Cloak?"  
  
"The number of times I saw James disappearing under it......the point is, even if you're wearing an invisibility Cloak you show up on the Marauder's Map. I watched you cross the grounds and enter Hagrid's hut. Twenty Minutes later, you left Hagrid, and set off back towards the castle. But you were now accompanied by somebody else."  
  
"What," said Harry. "No, we weren't!"  
  
"I couldn't believe my eyes," Lupin continued, "I thought the map must be malfunctioning. How could * he * be with you?"  
  
"No one was with us!" said Harry.  
  
"And then I saw another dot, moving towards you, labelled Sirius Black.....I saw him collide with you, I watched as he pulled two of you into the Whomping Willow-"  
  
"One of us!" The ginger boy just wouldn't shut up.  
  
"No, Ron," Said Lupin. "Two of you."  
  
Lupin stopped his incessant pacing and stared at the ginger boy, Ron.  
  
"Do you think I could have a look at the rat?" He said calmly.  
  
Sirius couldn't help but think of the irony that Peter's animagi was a rat.  
  
"What? What's Scabbers got to do with it?"  
  
"Everything. Could I see him please?"  
  
The ginger boy, Ron, hesitated, then pulled a struggling rat from his robes. The animal was thrashing around in desperation. Ron had to seize his tail in order to prevent his escape. Crookshanks and Sirius watched on as Lupin moved closer and gazed intently at the animal.  
  
"What?" Ron said again, "What's my rat got do to with anything?"  
  
Sirius felt compelled to help Remus unleash a decade of rage. He stood and joined the entourage around the rat.  
  
"That's not a rat," he croaked. His mouth felt dry, he wished he could have a drink of water before engaging in his favourite personal fantasy of killing Wormtail.  
  
"What d'you mean - of course he's a rat-"  
  
"No he's not. He's a wizard," Lupin replied quietly.  
  
And now time for the big reveal, Sirius thought contentedly.  
  
"An Animagus," he sighed, "by the name of Peter Pettigrew."  
  
TO BE CONTINUED....... 


	8. The Shrieking Shack: Part 2

AUTHORS NOTE: Have taken advice regarding the last chapter. Have worked on this one a bit more to try and insert more Sirius based stuff, and de-rowlingify it a little. Have only achieved this a bit because the dialogue still remains 100% Rowling, but I tried my hardest…and that's all I can do. I am sure Lupin fans will enjoy the endlessly redundant Remus-monologues which bless this section of the book! 

Also, this is a LONG chapter, so switch on your Harry Potter soundtrack and give yourself a good bit of time to read it!

PS- I have no idea what 'ostentatiously' means either, but it sounds cool ;)

______________________________________________________

Chapter VIII 

Sirius watched on with a distinct sense of pleasure as the three children attempted to digest this new information. It had always been one of the thoughts that had plagued his dreams the most, how the world would come to accept Peter's continuing existence. He had feared their reaction, if they would believe it, or if they would laugh in his face.

Now he was in the situation though, he found it grimly comical to observe their responses. 

Watching Remus learn the truth just minutes beforehand has been tense, as Sirius's future rested squarely on whether his old friend believed him or not, but now his freedom had been almost guaranteed, he could enjoy the situation to its fullest.

_"You're both mental"_

_"Ridiculous"_

Sirius wasn't really listening, instead just glancing at Remus happily, until Harry's line broke his silence, his finger waving impatiently and wildly in Sirius's direction.

_"Peter Pettigrew's dead! He killed him twelve years ago!"_

Sirius frowned, and twitched slightly, unused to being directly spoken to.

_"I meant to, but little Peter got the better of me… not this time though!"_

Sirius coughed briefly, his throat sore from speaking for the first time in so long. He had been pleased with his delivery of the line though, it sounded both melodramatic and extremely theatrical. 

As he finished speaking, he noticed Peter the rat crawling next to the ginger boys leg. Unable to control himself, he lept forwards and tried to wrap his hands around the creature. 

The boy was screaming, and Remus was yelling loudly in the background, but Sirius ignored both and reached for the struggling rodent.

He reached for the grey, fragile neck, but before he could break it he felt Remus's hands pulling at his shoulders, dragging him backwards across the room and away from Wormtail.

_"Sirius, NO!"_

Ignoring Moony's advice, Sirius pulled away and lunged towards Peter again. This time, Remus didn't hold back, and grabbed him around the waist, pulling with all his strength to prevent the attack.

_"WAIT! You can't do it just like that – they need to understand – we've got to explain!"_

_"We can explain afterwards!"_

Sirius raised his hand and pushed Remus aside, still being restrained yet desperately reaching for the rat.

_"They've – got – a – right- to – know – everything! Ron's kept him as a pet! There are parts of it even I don't understand! And Harry – you owe Harry the truth, Sirius!"_

Sirius stopped reaching for Wormtail and twisted his neck, staring into Remus's eyes from close proximity. A moment later he swivelled back around to face the rat. 

_"All right, then. Tell them whatever you like. But make it quick, Remus. I want to commit the murder I was imprisoned for…"_

Quivering with anger, Sirius backed away and relaxed his posture. The ginger boy though was doing the exact opposite, cradling the rat in his hands and attempting to stand.

_"You're nutters, both of you,"_ he spluttered, _"I've had enough of this. I'm off."_

Remus whipped his wand back out and pointed it downwards towards the rat. Sirius made forward for the briefest of moments, angry at the idea that Remus would destroy Peter alone. His apprehension drifted away though as the calm voice again filled the air.

_"You're going to hear me out, Ron, just keep a tight hold on Peter while you listen."_

_"HE'S NOT PETER, HE'S SCABBERS!"_

Sirius was still somewhat confused by the entire situation, but he kept quiet, his eyes occasionally darting over to Wormtail just to make sure no daring escape was attempted.

_"There were witnesses who saw Pettigrew die. A whole street full of them…"_ Harry said cautiously, examining the features on Remus's face with interest.

Sirius decided it was time to interrupt, mildly annoyed at his lack of participation in the conversation recently.

_"They didn't see what they thought they saw!"_

His eyes never left the struggling rat, as Remus began to nod his head in agreement.

_"Everyone thought Sirius killed Peter, I believed it myself – until I saw the map tonight. Because the Marauder's Map never lies…. Peter's alive. Ron's holding him, Harry"_

The two boys looked at each other as though the two men were completely insane. Before Sirius could retort with a convincing remark, the girl, Hermione, spoke quietly.

_"But Professor Lupin…. Scabbers can't be Pettigrew…it just can't be true, you know it can't…"_

_"Why can't it be true?"_

_"Because…people would know if Peter Pettigrew had been as Animagus. We did Animagi in class with Professor. McGonagall. And I looked them up when I did my homework – the ministry keeps tabs on witches and wizards who can become animals; there's a register showing what animal they become, and their markings and things…and I went and looked Professor. McGonagall up on the register, and there have only been seven Animagi this century, and Pettigrew's name wasn't on the list."_

Interested as to how Remus would reply to the girl's research, Sirius leaned backwards against one of the filthy wooden walls and scratched his beard thoughtfully.

Remus began to chuckle to himself and smiled warmly at Hermione, his face looking more worn and aged then ever before.

_"Right again, Hermione! But the ministry never knew that there used to be three unregistered Animagi running around Hogwarts."_

Sirius sighed and brushed some of the dust from his tattered clothing. Moony was taking too long, and he was beginning to get impatient.

_"If you're going to tell them the story, get a move on, Remus. I've waited twelve years, I'm not going to wait much longer."_

Remus Lupin stopped smiling and answered Sirius earnestly.

_"All right…but you'll need to help me, Sirius, I only know how it began..."_

Suddenly, a loud creak came from behind the group, as the door mysteriously swung open of its own accord. 

Remus marched over and examined it momentarily, before returning, shrugging his shoulders and frowning.

_"No one there…"_

_"This place is haunted"_ The ginger boy said softly.

_"It's not,"_ Remus replied, _"The Shrieking Shack was never haunted…the screams and howls the villagers used to hear were made by me. That's where all of this starts – with me becoming a werewolf. None of this could have happened if I hadn't been bitten…and if I hadn't been so foolhardy…I was a very small boy when I received the bite. My parents tried everything but in those days there was no cure. The potion that Professor Snape has been making for me is a very recent discovery. It makes me safe, you see. As long as I take it in the week preceding the full moon, I keep my mind when I transform…I am able to curl up in my office, a harmless wolf, and wait for the moon to wane again._

_Before the Wolfsbane Potion was discovered, however, I became a fully-fledged monster once a month. It seemed impossible that I would be able to come to Hogwarts. Other parents weren't likely to want their children exposed to me._

_But then Dumbledore became Headmaster, and he was sympathetic. He said that, as long as we took certain precautions, there was no reason I shouldn't come to school…I told you months ago, that the Whomping Willow was planted the year I came to Hogwarts. The truth is that it was planted because I had come to Hogwarts. This house – the tunnel that leads to it – they were built for my use. Once a month, I was smuggled out of the castle, into this place, to transform. The tree was placed at the tunnel mouth to stop anyone coming across me while I was dangerous. My transformations in those days were – were terrible. It is very painful to turn into a werewolf. I was separated from humans to bite, so I bit and scratched myself instead. The villagers heard the noise and the screaming and thought they were hearing particularly violent spirits. Dumbledore encourage the rumour…even now, when the house has been silent for years, the villagers don't dare approach it._

_But apart from my transformations, I was happier than I had ever been in my life. For the first time ever, I had friends, three great friends. Sirius Black…Peter Pettigrew…and, of course, your father, Harry – James Potter. Now my three friends could hardly fail to notice that I disappeared once a month. I made up all sorts of stories. I told them my mother was ill, and that I had to go home to see her…I was terrified they would desert me the moment they found out what I was. But of course, they, like you, Hermione, worked out the truth…_

_And they didn't desert me at all. Instead they did something for me that would make my transformations not only bearable, but the best times of my life. They became Animagi"_

Sirius sighed, knowing the story all too well, it felt almost as though Remus had scripted it for a teenage audience, completely ignoring his earlier wishes to _'get a move on'_.

_"My dad, too?"_ Harry retorted, a clear look of surprise on his face.

_"Yes, indeed. It took them the best part of three years to work out how to do it. Your father and Sirius here were the cleverest students in the school," _Sirius was rather touched, _"and lucky they were, because the Animagus transformation can go horribly wrong – one reason the Ministry keeps a close watch on those attempting to do it. Peter needed all the help he could get from James and Sirius. Finally, in our fifth year, they managed it. They could each turn into a different animal at will."_

_"But how did that help you?" _The girl asked, inquisitively. 

Sirius rolled his eyes, perplexed as to how this allegedly clever Hermione girl was unable to figure out such a simple answer. He kept quiet though, and allowed Moony to continue…

_"They couldn't keep me company as humans, so they kept me company as animals. A werewolf is only a danger to people. They sneaked out of the castle every month under James's Invisibility Cloak. They transformed…Peter, as the smallest, could slip beneath the Willow's attacking branches and touch the knot that freezes it. They would then slip down the tunnel and join me. Under their influence, I became less dangerous. My body was still wolfish, but my mind seemed to become less so while I was with them."_

Sirius was getting irritable with the delay, and found himself uncontrollably interrupting.

_"Hurry up, Remus"_

_"I'm getting there, Sirius, I'm getting there…well, highly exciting possibilities were open to us now we could all transform. Soon we were leaving the Shrieking Shack and roaming the school grounds and the village by night. Sirius and James transformed into such large animals they were able to keep a werewolf in check. I doubt whether any Hogwarts students ever found out more about the Hogwarts grounds and Hogsmeade that we dud…and that's how we came to write the Marauder's Map, and sign it with our nicknames. Sirius is Padfoot. Peter is Wormtail. James was Prongs."_

Sirius was about to interrupt again at the utterly irrelevant information being passed on, but Harry spoke first.

_"What sort of animal-"_

Hermione ostentatiously spoke over him.

_"That was still really dangerous! Running around in the dark with a werewolf! What if you'd given the others the slip, and bitten somebody?"_

_"A thought that still haunts me. And there were near misses, many of them. We laughed about them afterwards. We were young, thoughtless – carried away with our own cleverness. I sometimes felt guilty about betraying Dumbledore's trust, of course…he had admitted me to Hogwarts when no other headmaster would have done so, and he had no idea I was breaking the rules he had set down for my own and others safety. He never knew I had led three fellow students into becoming Animagi illegally. But I always managed to forget my guilty feelings every time we sat down to plan our next month's adventure.  And I haven't changed._

_All this year, I have been battling with myself, wondering whether I should tell Dumbledore that Sirius was an Animagus. But I didn't do it. Why? Because I was too cowardly. It would have meant admitting that I'd betrayed his trust while I was at school, admitting that I'd led others along with me…and Dumbledore's trust has meant everything to me. He let me into Hogwarts as a boy, and he gave me a job, when I have been shunned all my adult life, unable to find paid work because of what I am. And so I convinced myself that Sirius was getting into the school using dark arts he learned from Voldemort, that being an Animagus had nothing to do with it…so in a way, Snape's been right about me all along."_

The name had occurred in the conversation before, but Sirius only truly registered it now. Severus Snape, known to his enemies as Snivellus, or many other more gratuitous nicknames. Eitherway, the mentioning of Snape was unexpected.

_"Snape? What's Snape got to do with it?"_

_"He's here, Sirius. He's teaching here as well"_

Sirius looked at Remus with astonishment. The greasy haired asshole, Ex-Death Eater, Severus Snape, was teaching at Hogwarts?!?!?!?!

Remus nodded slowly and regretfully, before turning to address the children again.

_"Professor Snape was at school with us. He fought very hard against my appointment to the Defence against the Dark Arts job. He has been telling Dumbledore all year that I am not to be trusted. He has reasons…you see, Sirius here played a trick on him which nearly killed him, a trick which involved me."_

Sirius didn't understand what all the fuss had been about, it wasn't as if he wanted Snivellus dead, merely injured in some painful way.

_"It served him right. Sneaking around, trying to get us expelled…"_

_"Severus was very interested in where I went every month. We were in the same year, you know, and we  - er – didn't like each other very much. He especially disliked James. Jealous, I think, of James' talent on the Quidditch pitch…anyway, Snape had seen me crossing the grounds with Madam Pomfrey one evening as she led me towards the Whomping Willow to transform. Sirius thought it would be – er – amusing, to tell Snape all he had to do was prod the knot on the tree with a long stick, and he'd be able to get in after me. Well, of course, Snape tried it – if he'd got as far as the house, he'd have met a fully-grown werewolf – but your father, who'd heard what Sirius had done, went after Snape and pulled him back, at great risk to his life…Snape glimpsed me, though, at the end of the tunnel. He was forbidden to tell anybody by Dumbledore, but from that time on he knew what I was…"_

Sirius remembered all too well the downside of the entire situation, which had been Dumbledore's angry outburst. He had received a whole month of detentions, something practically unheard of from the usually passive Headmaster.

_"So that's why Snape doesn't like you, because he thought you were in on the joke?" _Harry spoke slowly.

_"That's right!"_

Sirius practically jumped out of his skin, leaping to his feet in disbelief as Snivellus Snape pulled off the Invisibility Cloak and raised his wand in Remus's direction. The children all looked as shocked as if Voldemort himself had just walked in, struggling not to shout out in surprise.

_"I found this at the base of the Whomping Willow. Very useful Potter, I thank you…"_

Snivellus dropped the cloak and triumphantly stared at the group with a look of superiority. It was his lucky day.

_"You're wondering, perhaps, how I knew you were here? I've just been to your office, Lupin. You forgot to take your potion tonight, so I took a gobletful along. And very lucky I did…lucky for me, I mean. Lying on your desk was a certain map. One glance at it told me all I needed to know. I saw you running along this passageway and out of sight." _

Years had passed, but Snape had lost none of his cunning. Sirius couldn't help but be a little impressed.

Remus looked less so though, fear washing over his face as the implications of Snape's presence hit him.

_"Severus…"_

_"I've told the Headmaster again and again that you've been helping your old friend Black into the castle, Lupin, and here's the proof. Not even I dreamed you would have the nerve to use this old place as your hideout."_

_"Severus, you're making a mistake. You haven't heard everything – I can explain - Sirius is not here to kill Harry."_

The pitch of Remus's voice had become high and desperate; he was taking the situation a lot worse then Sirius, who remained fairly cool after the original shock.

_"Two more for Azkaban tonight," _Snape continued.

All attempts at remaining calm deserted Sirius as these words resounded through the Shrieking Shack.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	9. The Shrieking Shack: Part 3

Authors Note: Another almost ridiculously long chapter, but its all necessary so I can't complain, the arrival of Peter deserves the full treatment. Expect the next chapter to be a little shorter, especially considering the balance sways, and it is mostly my work instead of Rowling's. Some of the punctuation might be a bit buggered up, but on this rare occasion that is the fault of fanfiction.net, and not me. It keeps screwing up my commas….stupid website!!!!!!!  
  
Enjoy!! And remember to always review!!!!! _____________________________________________________  
  
Chapter IX  
  
As the words lept angrily from Snape's mouth, little flecks of grease flicked from his jet-black oily hair, and onto the dusty walls of the Shack.  
  
Sirius looked on in disgust. Snape may have the advantage, but at least Sirius had clean hair.  
  
Or not.  
  
He quickly remembered the slimy strands of hair hanging down over his ears and face.  
  
_"I shall be interested to see how Dumbledore takes this. He was quite convinced you were harmless, you know, Lupin, a tame werewolf!"  
_  
_"You fool, Is a schoolboy grudge worth putting an innocent man back inside Azkaban?"  
_  
Sirius stared on, startled but somewhat unsurprised by Remus's reaction.  
  
Snape's next move though was the most shocking, raising his wand and firing thin ropes at Remus, which wrapped themselves around his mouth, ankles and wrists. Sirius remembered the spell; they had learnt it in Defence Against the Dark Arts in the sixth year of Hogwarts.  
  
As Remus fell, Sirius started forwards towards Snape, desperate to seize his wand and strike him down. Before he could reach his smirking enemy, he found the wand being raised again, this time pointed directly at his face.  
  
Sirius looked downwards with his left eyeball, his right obscured by hair. The wand tip was pressing into the gap between his two eyebrows.  
  
He looked back upwards, and met Snape's eyes. They stared at each other for an age, both recollecting their childhoods. Under different circumstances they could almost have been friends.  
  
Snape had to admit being fairly impressed when he first heard of Sirius's betrayal all those years ago, even if it had been after his own return to righteousness.  
  
Snape ended the silence by pushing the wand deeper into Sirius's skin and speaking quietly and menacingly.  
  
_"Give me a reason. Give me a reason to do it, and I swear I will."  
_  
Sirius couldn't help but think Snivellus was overreacting, so just stared backwards silently and furiously. Things stayed like this for what felt like a lifetime, neither party tempted to continue the conversation, until suddenly the girl interrupted, her small voice rising from the corner of the room.  
  
_"Professor Snape - it - it wouldn't hurt to hear what they've got to say, w- would it?"  
_  
_"Miss Granger, you are already facing suspension from this school. You, Potter and Weasley are out of bounds, in the company of a convicted murderer and a werewolf. For once in your life, hold your tongue."  
  
"But if - if there was a mistake?"  
  
"KEEP QUIET, YOU STUPID GIRL! DON'T TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!"  
_  
Some sparks erupted from the wand and Sirius could feel a tingling burn on his skin. The girl instantly fell silent. Sirius couldn't help but feel sympathetic as she slumped against the bed, looking as though she was going to burst into tears. Snape was a real bastard, and Sirius's opinion of him had just dropped another notch for his uncompassionate behaviour.  
  
_"Vengeance is very sweet. How I hoped I would be the one to catch you."  
_  
Sirius happily remembered the time he urinated up Snape's leg as Padfoot.  
  
_"The joke's on you again, Severus. As long as this boy brings his rat up to the castle - I'll come quietly."  
_  
_"Up to the castle? I don't think we need to go that far. All I have to do is call the Dementors once we get out of the Willow. They'll be pleased to see you, Black. Pleased enough to give you a little kiss, I daresay."  
_  
If Sirius hadn't drunk so little over the previous few days, it is highly likely he would have pissed himself at this point. The tone of his voice changed from cheeky to pleading.  
  
_"You - you've got to hear me out. The rat - look at the rat."  
_  
Snape looked back at him as though he was looking at a man who had just assassinated his entire family.  
  
_"Come on, all of you. I'll drag the werewolf. Perhaps the Dementors will have a kiss for him, too-"  
_  
Sirius was contemplating who would get to go first, when unexpectedly Harry pushed past the other two children and stepped in front of the door, effectively blocking Snape's escape route.  
  
_"Get out of the way, Potter, you're in enough trouble already. If I hadn't been here to save your skin-"  
_  
_"Professor Lupin could have killed me about a hundred times this year. I've been alone with him loads of times, having defence lessons against the Dementors. If he was helping Black, why didn't he just finish me off then?"  
  
"Don't ask me to fathom the way a werewolf's mind works. Get out of the way, Potter."  
_  
Sirius glanced over Snape's shoulder, his back turned. He briefly considered making a move to transform, but swiftly changed his mind. It was too risky, Peter could escape.  
  
_"YOU'RE PATHETIC! JUST BECAUSE THEY MADE A FOOL OF YOU AT SCHOOL YOU WON'T EVEN LISTEN-"  
  
"SILENCE! I WILL NOT BE SPOKEN TO LIKE THAT!"_  
  
Sirius's mouth gaped open in as much surprise as the other two children. Did this mean that Harry was beginning to believe him?  
  
_"Like father, like son, Potter! I have just saved your neck; you should be thanking me on bended knee! You would have been well served if he'd killed you! You'd have died like your father, too arrogant to believe you might be mistake in Black - now get out of the way, or I will make you, GET OUT OF THE WAY POTTER!"  
_  
Sirius almost smiled, but it came out as a feeble cough. It wasn't heard by anyone though, because the three children were all proceeding to attempt a disarming spell on Snivellus. They succeeded admirably, and Snape was sent flying, landing as a crumpled heap on the ground a moment later with blood trickling from under the oily hair. For his part, Sirius wished the man was dead, but he felt bad for the three children. They were in serious trouble now.  
  
_"You shouldn't have done that. You should have left him to me."  
_  
Harry ignored him, turning to his female companion who was being overcome by hysteria.  
  
_"We attacked a teacher, we attacked a teacher. oh we're going to be in so much trouble-"  
_  
Remus meanwhile was lying on the ground, struggling madly. Sirius quickly bent over and untied his old friend, lifting him to his feet and brushing some dust off his shabby robe.  
  
_"Thank you, Harry"  
  
"I'm not saying I believe you"  
  
"Then its time we offered you some proof. You, boy - give me Peter. Now."  
_  
Sirius spoke calmly and rationally; ready to claim his reward for 12 years of pain, but the boy remained defiant.  
  
_"Come of it. Are you trying to say you broke out of Azkaban just to get your hands on Scabbers? I mean, okay, say Pettigrew could turn into a rat - there are millions of rats - how's he supposed to know which one he's after if he was locked up in Azkaban?"  
_  
_"You know, Sirius, that's a fair question. How did you find out where he was?"  
_  
Sirius reached inside his robes, and in the deep recesses of the pocket found, and withdrew, the scrap of newspaper from the Daily Prophet. He new this little prop would come in useful again at some stage.  
  
_"How did you get this?" Lupin asked, stunned as to how Sirius had gotten hold of a newspaper like the Daily Prophet inside Azkaban.  
  
"Fudge. When he came to inspect Azkaban last year, he gave me his paper. And there was Peter, on the front page, on this boy's shoulder, I knew him at once, how many times had I seen him transform? And the caption said the boy would be going back to Hogwarts, to where Harry was."_  
  
_"My God. His front paw."  
  
"What about it?"  
  
"He's got a toe missing."  
  
"Of course, so simple, so brilliant... he cut it off himself?"  
  
"Just before he transformed. When I cornered him, he yelled for the whole street to hear that I'd betrayed Lily and James. Then, before I could curse him, he blew apart the street with the wand behind his back, killed everyone within twenty feet of himself - and sped down into the sewer with the other rats."  
  
"Didn't you ever hear, Ron?" said Remus. "The biggest bit of Peter they found was his finger."  
  
"Look, Scabbers probably had a fight with another rat or something! He's been in my family for ages, right-"_  
  
Sirius was staggered that the boy remained in denial.  
  
_"Twelve years in fact. Didn't you ever wonder why he was living so long?"  
  
"We- we've been taking good care of him!"  
  
"Not looking too good at the moment, though, is he? I'd guess he's been losing weight ever since he heard Sirius was on the loose again."  
  
"He's been scared of that mad cat!"_  
  
Sirius reached out his hand and stroked the cat's head. His companion through so many adventures did not deserve to be criticised.  
  
_"This cat isn't mad. He's the most intelligent of his kind I've ever met. He recognised Peter for what he was straight away. And when he met me, he knew I was no dog. It was a while before he trusted me. Finally, I managed to communicate to him what I was after, and he's been helping me."  
  
"What do you mean?" the girl replied, breathing heavily. She was evidently still in shock from knocking out her Professor.  
  
"He tried to bring Peter to me, but couldn't, so he stole the passwords into Gryffindor Tower for me. As I understand it, he took them from a boy's bedside table. But Peter got wind of what was going on and ran for it, this cat - Crookshanks, did you call him? - Told me Peter had left blood on the sheets, I suppose he bit himself as well, faking his own death had worked once."  
  
"And why did he fake his own death? Because he knew you were about to kill him like you killed my parents!"  
  
"No, Harry -"  
  
"And now you've come to finish him off!"  
  
"Yes I have."  
_  
Sirius felt that by this stage, blunt honesty was the best option.  
  
_"Then I should've let Snape take you!"_  
  
The boy's loyalties were drifting, he still wasn't convinced. It was almost time for the reveal.  
  
_"Harry, don't you see? All this time we've thought Sirius betrayed your parents, and Peter tracked him down - but it was the other way around, don't you see? Peter betrayed your mother and father - Sirius tracked Peter down -"  
  
"THAT'S NOT TRUE! HE WAS THEIR SECRET KEEPER! HE SAID SO BEFORE YOU TURNED UP, HE SAID HE KILLED THEM!"  
_  
Sirius shook his head sadly. The boy was right. Though exhausted by all the explanation, the boy deserved to know the truth in every minor detail.  
  
_"Harry, I as good as killed them. I persuaded Lily and James to change to Peter at the last moment, persuaded them to use him as Secret-Keeper instead of me. I'm to blame, I know it. The night they died, I'd arranged to check on Peter, make sure he was still safe, but when I arrived at his hiding place, he'd gone. Yet there was no sign of a struggle. It didn't feel right. I was scared., I set out for your parents house straight away. And when I saw their house, destroyed, and their bodies - I realised what Peter must have done. What I'd done."  
_  
By the end of his speech, Sirius was unashamedly crying. His voice had been slowly breaking throughout, but the recollection of the events of that fateful night brought him to tears every time.  
  
_"Enough of this. There's one certain way to prove what really happened. Ron, give me that rat"  
_  
Remus it appeared had also been affected deeply by Sirius's story. His voice was no longer calm, but edgy and resolute.  
  
_"What are you going to do with him if I give him to you?"  
  
"Force him to show himself. If he really is a rat, it wont hurt him."_  
  
The ginger boy finally gave in, and handed over the rat. Remus took Wormtail gently, cradling him in his hands. The rat madly struggled, insanely attempting to bite and scratch his way out of Remus's capable grasp.  
  
_"Ready, Sirius?"  
_  
Sirius picked up Snape's wand from the bed and approached Remus slowly.  
  
It was time.  
  
_"Together?"  
  
"I think so. On the count of three. One - two - THREE!"  
_  
At the precise same moment as Moony, Sirius performed the spell to forcefully transform an Animagi back into their default human appearance. It had been a long time since he had performed the spell, remembering the school days when a young Peter found it difficult to transform back. It was an easy piece of magic though, and the blue rays erupted from the wands and hit the rat, engulfing him in light.  
  
Then, as expected, the rat began to transform back into Peter Pettigrew. His limbs exploding outwards, his body stretching into human shape, and his head emerging from between his shoulders.  
  
He had aged as badly as Remus. Still short, but less overweight then Sirius remembered him. His hair had greyed a little, and dirt looked as though it permanently stained his face.  
  
The Marauders weren't in quite as good a state as they had been last time around.  
  
Sirius grinned evilly, and glanced at Remus who was also smiling. They might as well at least keep up the charade of respectability, and hear what the fat traitor had to say?  
  
_"Well, hello, Peter. Long time, no see."  
  
"S-Sirius, R-Remus, My friends, my old friends."  
_  
Hearing his voice made Sirius's entire body tense with anger. He raised Snape's wand without thinking, ready to unleash his hatred by uttering the death curse. Remus grabbed his wrist instantaneously, pushing his arm downwards.  
  
_"We've been having a little chat, Peter, about what happened the night Lily and James died. You might have missed the finer points while you were squeaking around down three on the bed -"  
  
"Remus, you don't believe him, do you. He tried to kill me, Remus."_  
  
Peter's relentless lies made Sirius feel physically sick.  
  
_"So we've heard. I'd like to clear up one or two little matters with you, Peter, if you'd be so-"  
  
"He's come to try and kill me again! He killed Lily and James and now he's going to kill me, too. You've got to help me, Remus."_  
  
For the second consecutive time, Sirius made to raise his wand, but a fleeting look from Remus stopped him. He just stood staring back at the raving Pettigrew.  
  
In his oddly composed voice, Remus began again.  
  
_"No one's going to try and kill you until we've sorted a few things out."  
  
"Sorted things out? I knew he'd come after me! I knew he'd be back for me! I've been waiting for this for twelve years!"  
_  
Peter was so full of bullshit, and it was beginning to get on Sirius's nerves. He contemplated the possibility of torture before murder.  
  
_"You knew Sirius was going to break out of Azkaban? When nobody has ever done it before?"  
  
"He's got dark powers the rest of us can only dream of! How else did he get out of there? I suppose He Who Must Not Be Named taught him a few tricks!"  
_  
Peter was just getting ridiculous now. The three children had drifted into the background, ignored. All that mattered now were the three remaining Marauders standing in the Shrieking Shack. Sirius began to laugh loudly and exaggeratedly.  
  
_"Voldemort, teach me tricks?"  
_  
Pettigrew flinched and covered his face with his hands.  
  
_"What, scared to hear your old masters name? I don't blame you, Peter. His lot aren't very happy with you, are they?"  
  
"Don't know - what you mean, Sirius!"  
_  
_"You haven't been hiding from me for twelve years. You've been hiding from Voldemort's old supporters. I heard things in Azkaban, Peter, they all think you're dead, or you'd have to answer to them. I've heard them screaming all sorts of things in their sleep. Sounds like they think the double-crosser double-crossed them. Voldemort went to the Potters' on your information, and Voldemort met his downfall there. And not all Voldemort's supporters ended up in Azkaban did they? There are still plenty out here, biding their time, pretending they've seen the error of their ways. If they ever got wind that you were still alive, Peter -"  
  
"Don't know what you're talking about. You don't believe this - this madness, Remus -"_  
  
Peter turned desperately to Remus, pleading for some support. Thankfully Remus was quite set in his opinion, having come to realise the truth.  
  
_"I must admit, Peter. I have difficulty in understanding why an innocent man would want to spend twelve years as a rat."  
  
"Innocent but scared! If Voldemort's supporters were after me, it was because I put on of their best men in Azkaban - the spy, Sirius Black!"  
_  
Sirius exploded in anger at the accusation.  
  
_"How dare you. I, a spy for Voldemort? When did I ever sneak around people who were stronger and more powerful that myself? But you, Peter - I'll never understand why I didn't see you were the spy from the start. You always liked big friends who'd look after you, didn't you. It used to be us, me and Remus, and James."_  
  
_"Me, a spy, must be out of your mind, never, don't know how you can say such a -"  
  
"Lily and James only made you Secret-Keeper because I suggested it. I thought it was the perfect plan, a bluff, Voldemort would be sure to come after me, would never dream they'd use a weak, talentless thing like you, it must have been the finest moment of your_ _miserable life, telling Voldemort you could hand him the Potters."  
  
_Silence filled the shack again, as Peter was allowed to dwell on this thought. His reply came in the form of a few feeble mutterings, instead relying on the small girls voice drifting back into the discussion from the corner.  
  
_"Professor Lupin? Can - can I say something?"  
  
"Certainly, Hermione,"_ Remus replied kindly.  
  
_"Well - Scabbers - I mean, this - this man - he's been sleeping in Harry's dormitory for three years. If he's working for You Know Who, how come he never tried to hurt Harry before now?"  
_  
Peter looked as though he had just won the lottery.  
  
_"There! Thank you! You see, Remus? I have never hurt a hair of Harry's head! Why should I?"  
_  
Sirius felt it pertinent to interject.  
  
_"I'll tell you why. Because you never did anything for anyone unless you could see what was in it for you. Voldemort's been in hiding for twelve years, they say he's half-dead. You weren't about to commit murder right under Albus Dumbledore's nose, for a wreck of a wizard who'd lost all his power, were you? You'd want to be quite sure he was the biggest bully in the playground before you went back to him, wouldn't you? Why else did you find a wizard family to take you in? Keeping an ear out for news, weren't you, Peter? Just in case your old protector regained strength, and it was safe to rejoin him."  
_  
Peter looked stunned, and didn't say a word.  
  
_"Er - Mr Black - Sirius?"_  
  
Sirius turned, a little surprised that he was being addressed so formally after so long of being identified by his tattoos.  
_  
"If you don't mind me asking, how - how did you get out of Azkaban, if you didn't use Dark Magic?"  
_  
_"Thank you! Exactly! Precisely what I -"  
_  
Remus showed his dark and ruthless centre with a silencing look, as Sirius pondered how to phrase his answer.  
  
_"I don't know how I did it. I think the only reason I never lost my mind is that I knew I was innocent. That wasn't a happy thought, so the Dementors couldn't suck it out of me, but it kept me sane and knowing who I am, helped me keep my powers so when it all became too much, I could transform in my cell, become a dog. Dementors can't see, you know. They feel their way towards people by sensing their emotions, they couldn't tell that my feelings were less - less human, less complex when I was a dog, but they thought, of course, that I was losing my mind like everyone else in there, so it didn't trouble them. But I was weak, very weak, and I had no hope of driving them away from me without a wand. But then I saw Peter in that picture, I realised he was at Hogwarts with Harry, perfectly positioned to act, if one hint reached his ears that the Dark Side was gathering strength again, ready to strike the moment he could be sure of allies, to deliver the last Potter to them. If he gave them Harry, who'd dare say he'd betrayed Lord Voldemort? He'd be welcomed back with honours. So you see, I had to do something. I was the only one who knew Peter was still alive. It was as if someone had lit a fire in my head, and the Dementors couldn't destroy it, it wasn't a happy feeling, it was an obsession, but it gave me strength, it cleared my mind. So, one night when they opened my door to bring food, I slipped past them as a dog, its so much harder for them to sense animal emotions that they were confused. I was thin, very thin; thin enough to slip through the bars. I swam as a dog back to the mainland. I journeyed north and slipped into the Hogwarts grounds as a dog. I've been living in the Forest ever since, except when I come to watch the Quidditch, of course, you fly as well as your father did, Harry. Believe me. Believe me. I never betrayed James and Lily. I would have died before I betrayed them."  
_  
Sirius was crying again, although nobody else realised it. The sincerity of his answer had driven him to an uncontrollable gushing of emotion.  
  
After so much patience, Harry finally nodded his head in acceptance of Sirius's story.  
  
Sirius sighed, relieved that finally his mission could be completed.  
  
_"No! Sirius - it's me, its Peter, your friend, you wouldn't."_  
  
Wormtail was pathetically sprawled out on the floor, covered in dust and grovelling pitifully. Sirius kicked him away remorselessly.  
  
_"There's enough filth on my robes without you touching them."_  
  
Peter turned away and writhed at Remus's feet, stroking his ankles and attempting to generate some sympathy.  
  
_"Remus! You don't believe this, wouldn't Sirius have told you they'd changed the plan?"_  
  
_"Not if he thoughts I was the spy, Peter. I assume that's why you didn't tell me, Sirius?"  
  
"Forgive me, Remus."  
  
"Not at all, Padfoot, old friend. And will you, in turn, forgive me for believing you were the spy?"  
_  
It was as though not a day had passed. They were the greatest of friends again, and always would be.  
  
_"Of course. Shall we kill him together?"  
_  
_"Yes, I think so."_  
  
Sirius finished rolling up his sleeves and raised his wand in preparation. Peter was still scrambling around on the floor, desperately trying to beg for help from the children.  
  
_"You wouldn't, you wont! Ron, haven't I been a good friend, a good pet? You won't let them kill me, Ron, will you, you're on my side, aren't you?"  
  
"I let you sleep in my bed!"  
_  
The ginger boy had a look of disgust on his face.  
  
_"Kind boy, kind master, you won't let them do it. I was your rat. I was a good pet."  
  
"If you made a better rat than human, its not much to boast about, Peter."  
_  
Insulting Peter felt good, but the pathetic excuse for a human being was still weakly crawling about at the group's feet, now turning his attention to the girl.  
  
_"Sweet girl, clever girl, you - you won't let them! Help me."  
_  
She backed away from him immediately.  
  
_"Harry, Harry, you look just like your father. Just like him!"  
_  
This was the last straw, he had gone too far. Sirius felt his anger exploding out of his mouth again.  
  
_"HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO HARRY? HOW DARE YOU FACE HIM? HOW DARE YOU TALK ABOUT JAMES IN FRONT OF HIM?"  
  
"Harry. Harry, James wouldn't have wanted me killed. James would have understood, Harry. He would have shown me mercy."  
_  
Sirius walked forwards quickly and grabbed Peter's shoulder. Assisted by Remus, they threw him backwards onto the floor and away from Harry, who stood looking terrified.  
  
_"You sold Lily and James to Voldemort. Do you deny it?"_  
  
Peter began to cry noisily on the ground, partly in a plea for mercy, partly because a nail from the wooden floor had cut his elbow open as he fell.  
  
_"Sirius, Sirius, what could I have done? The Dark Lord. You have no idea, he has weapons you can't imagine. I was scared, Sirius, I was never brave like you and Remus and James. I never meant it to happen. He Who Must Not Be Named forced me -"_  
  
_"DON'T LIE! YOU'D BEEN PASSING INFORMATION TO HIM FOR A YEAR BEFORE LILY AND JAMES DIED! YOU WERE HIS SPY!"  
  
"He - he was taking over everywhere! Wh-what was there to be gained by refusing him?"  
  
"What was there to be gained by fighting the most evil wizard who has ever existed? Only innocent lives, Peter!"  
  
"You don't understand! He would have killed me, Sirius!" "THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED! DIED RATHER THAN BETRAYED YOUR FRIENDS, AS WE WOULD HAVE DONE FOR YOU!"  
_  
Remus and Sirius stood shoulder to shoulder; both fully prepared to utter the death curse, which would end life in a second.  
  
_"You should have realised. If Voldemort didn't kill you, we would. Goodbye, Peter."  
  
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"_  
  
Harry ran in front of the two wands, protecting Peter. Sirius almost dropped Snape's wand in shock.  
  
_"Harry, this piece of vermin is the reason you have no parents. This cringing bit of filth would have seen you die, too, without turning a hair. You heard him. His own stinking skin meant more to him than your whole family."  
  
"I know. We'll take him up to the castle. We'll hand him over to the Dementors. He can go to Azkaban. Just don't kill him."  
_  
Sirius pondered Harry's proposal for a moment. Certainly, Peter would feel pain indefinitely if he went to Azkaban, but there was also the permanent possibility of him one day escaping. Sirius decided fairly quickly he was against the idea. Peter meanwhile seemed jubilant, as though the noose around his neck had been loosened.  
  
_"Harry! You - thank you- it's more than I deserve - thank you-"  
  
"Get off me! I'm not doing this for you, I'm doing it because I don't reckon my dad would've wanted his best friends to become killers - just for you."  
_  
With great hesitation, Sirius lowered his wand. Remus did the same.  
  
_"You're the only person who has the right to decide, Harry. But think, think what he did."  
_  
_"He can go to Azkaban. If anyone deserves that place, he does."  
_  
Sirius remembered vividly the endless nights of pain. Soon Peter would be feeling that pain, and that was an encouraging thought.  
  
_"Very well. Stand aside, Harry."  
  
_Harry paused.  
  
_"I'm going to tie him up. That's all, I swear,"_ Remus continued.  
  
Harry stepped out of the way, and Remus whispered a quick spell. Thin cords flew from his wand and bound Peter tightly. A sudden thought entered Sirius's mind though, and he scratched his chin apprehensively.  
  
_"But if you transform, Peter, we will kill you. You agree, Harry?"  
_  
Harry nodded.  
  
_"Right. Ron, I can't mend bones nearly as well as Madam Pomfrey, so I think it's best if we just strap your leg up until we can get you to the hospital wing...FERULA"  
_  
Bandages strapped themselves around the ginger boys leg, and a splint magically appeared, supporting it. The boy stood immediately.  
  
_"That's better. Thanks"  
_  
Eyes now turned uncertainly in the direction of Snape.  
  
_"What about Professor Snape?"  
  
"There's nothing seriously wrong with him. You were just a little - over- enthusiastic. Still out cold. Er - perhaps it will be best if we don't revive him until we're safely back in the castle. We can take him like this...MOBILICORPUS"  
_  
Snivellus rose to a standing position, floating unconsciously a few inches above the ground, his feet dangling and his head flopped downwards.  
  
Remus then leaned over, picking up the Invisibility Cloak and stuffing it into his pocket.  
  
_"And two of us should be chained to this. Just to make sure."  
_  
Sirius kicked Peter lightly with his left foot, causing the fat lump to twitch anxiously.  
  
_"I'll do it,"_ Remus volunteered.  
  
_"And me,"_ The ginger boy replied, limping into position next to Peter.  
  
Sirius lifted the wand and conjured chains in the air. They tied themselves like snakes around Peter, his left arm chained to Remus's right and his right arm to the ginger boys left.  
  
Crookshanks the cat purred, and hopped off the bed, and out of the door.  
  
The group followed.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED.........


	10. Werewolves, Dementors and Hippogriffs

Authors Note: Well, here comes the penultimate chapter! Looks like the story is finally drawing to a close, after this there is only a short epilogue to neatly tie up all the loose ends. Anyways…this is my favourite chapter in the entire story. Not sure if its just because after an age of Shrieking Shack, I am relieved that this is occasionally original, but also because I just really dig the Dumbledore/Sirius talk. Poor Dumbledore has ended up sounding like the Architect from the Matrix Reloaded. 

Enjoy. And remember to write nice long reviews filled with praise. It is siriusly appreciated ;)

Chapter X 

As the group walked slowly downstairs, Sirius made an intentional effort to puppeteer the floating Snape so that his head occasionally bashed into the ceiling. Remus, Peter and the ginger boy went first, followed by Snape, Sirius and finally Harry and the girl, Hermione, at the back.

After several failed attempts, they managed to squeeze into the tunnel together in single file, and edge along sideways.

Snape's head smashed into the ceiling painfully and he groaned unconsciously. A little dust fell from above, and Sirius coughed lightly, and turned his head backwards towards Harry as he walked.

_"You know what this means? Turning Pettigrew in?"_

_"You're free."_

_"Yes…But I'm also – I don't know if anyone ever told you – I'm your Godfather."_

_"Yeah, I knew that."_

_"Well…your parents appointed me your guardian. If anything happened to them…"_

There was an uncomfortable pause.

_"I'll understand, of course, if you want to stay with your aunt and uncle. But…well…think about it. Once my name's cleared…if you wanted a…a different home…"_

_"What – live with you? Leave the Dursleys?"_

_"Of course, I thought you wouldn't want to. I understand. I just thought I'd -"_

Deep inside, Sirius was punching his outspoken nature into submission. How could he be so stupid, attempting to offer Harry a home…how idiotic? He must seem like a complete fool. What child on Earth would want to live with a convicted, albeit soon to be exonerated, mass-murderer? Not to mention his extremely untidy clothing and a house, which was probably similar in cleanliness to a sewer.

_"Are you mad?"_

Sirius's spirits sank even lower then they had been in Azkaban. The boy found the idea so preposterous, he was questioning Sirius's sanity.

_"Of course I want to leave the Dursleys! Have you got a house? When can I move in?"_

And just like that…Sirius felt his emotional state strengthen. Was Harry just toying with him, or was this serious?

_"You want to? You mean it?"_

_"Yeah, I mean it!"_

Sirius didn't know how to react, but felt himself smiling broadly. Harry was smiling back, as though an incommunicable connection between them had been formed. Harry was going to come and live with him…could it be true…was he still in Azkaban, was this all a dream?

During the silence that followed, as the group continued down the tunnel, Sirius found he was pinching himself every few seconds, to be certain that this wasn't all just a bizarre fantasy, comparable to the sort which occurred in prison.

Eventually, the end of the tunnel was reached, strangely quicker then usual…possibly because Sirius had so much to think about. Crookshanks pressed the knot on the trunk with ease, and everyone began to clamber out individually.

Sirius exited last of all, after guiding Snivellus out into the open, and ushering the children upwards back outside too.

When back out in the shadowy grounds of the school, the assemblage slowly began to walk towards the dimly lit castle.

_"One wrong move, Peter." _

Remus was cautiously holding his wand to the side, pointing it into Peter's ribs. Peter moaned feebly.

They were still a few hundred metres from the castle, when suddenly the clouds began to move. They moved aside as though they knew where their target stood, and soon he was found. 

A beam of moonlight shot downwards mysteriously, bathing the group in the curious bright white light and blinding the humans for a second, all of whom raised their hands to block its rays from scorching their retinas.

When Sirius lowered his hand again, he noticed that Snape had floated directly into Remus, Peter and the ginger boy, who stood, chained together and had stopped abruptly. Sirius also froze, and lifted his arm to stop Harry and the girl, Hermione.

Sirius looked upwards towards the moon, it was full, and beaming brightly…almost as though it smiled at what was going to happen.

Remus began to shake violently, as Sirius had seen so many times in the past. Froth was spraying downwards and vomit had begun to leak from his nostrils and out of his mouth. He was screaming as loud as his body would allow, but the screams soon became a horrific roar as his jaws increased in strength and his head lengthened grotesquely. 

_"Oh my – He didn't take his potion tonight. He's not safe!"_

_"Run. Run! Now!"_

Hermione turned and ran off backwards across the field, but Harry foolishly leaped forwards towards the chains binding the other three together. Sirius grabbed him around the waist and threw him aside. Harry fell roughly on the grass, and rolled sideways.

Remus was still transforming, his entire face and body now covered in hair. His clothes had ripped and fallen aside, and his limbs had fully changed into dextrous and clawed paws.

Remus was now trapped, imprisoned if you will, deep inside his own subconscious, leaving the monster chained to Peter, and the ginger boy. It ripped itself away from the chains with ease and roared viciously in Harry's direction.

With no choice, Sirius concentrated for a second, and transformed into Padfoot. Using his strong back legs, he bounded forwards and grabbed the Werewolf's muscular neck, pushing it away from the children and the traitor. 

Padfoot felt the wolfish claws rip into his back, and lost his balance for a split second, falling to the ground and tumbling down a ditch. He dragged the wolf with him though, and a moment later pulled himself back out again, dragging the wolf violently by the tail behind him, blood tearing out from underneath the fur and staining the grass.

In the background, Peter was struggling with the children, lights flashing from wand tips and the manic shouting of spells filling the air. This was of little interest to two fighting animals though, and their brawl continued as Sirius dug his claws into the belly of the beast, spilling more blood. 

Things took a turn for the worse, as Sirius felt a paw slam into his head, and he spun over onto his back, kicking out at the Werewolf, which had leaped on top of him, gouging at his face.

Sirius kicked out hard, and hit the animal directly in the face. It howled, conceding defeat, and galloped off into the forest.

_"Sirius, he's gone, Pettigrew transformed!"_

Sirius still lay on the grass, but weakly pivoted his neck to see what Harry was shouting about. 

Peter had escaped?

Finding energy in the thoughts of revenge, he scrambled to his feet and ran off across the grounds. He would search for Peter for as long as necessary.

He began to pick up speed, launching himself along swiftly and glancing from side to side, to try and catch a glimpse of the rat through the darkness.

His search ended abruptly, as he skidded to a halt by the lake. He knew from experience that Peter couldn't swim, so an escape by this route was impossible. Before he had the opportunity to turn around, Sirius felt something.

He transformed quickly back into a human and sniffed the air. The wind had calmed, and everything had fallen silent. 

Sirius felt the temperature drop. His entire body felt cold, as though he had fallen into a pool of ice. He tried to breath, but found with each breath his innermost thoughts erupting to the surface of his imagination.

Sirius Black, Sirius White, Sirius Green, Sirius Blue, Sirius Yellow, Sirius Purple.

He screamed as he turned around, collapsing to the floor and covering his hands with his head in fear.

Sirius Black, Sirius White, Sirius Green, Sirius Blue, Sirius Yellow, Sirius Purple.

It was impossible to estimate a number, as Sirius didn't allow his eyes to linger, but a veritable army of Dementors were coming towards the lake, swarming around him…sucking his mind free of all happy thoughts or ideals.

_"Nooo, Noooo… please…"_

Sirius Black, Sirius White, Sirius Green, Sirius Blue, Sirius Yellow, Sirius Purple.

He could hear his Godson in the distance, yelling _'Expecto Patronum'_ at the top of his voice, but it was no use. A child wouldn't be able to conjure a Patronus. 

Giving up hope, sucked dry of all happiness, Sirius rolled over and lay motionless on the ground, staring up at the clouds, which had obscured the moon again. He was stunned, unable to move…. did he even want to move. What in the world could justify the effort it would involve?

Sirius Black, Sirius White, Sirius Green, Sirius Blue, Sirius Yellow, Sirius Purple.

He could hear the rattling breath closing in. He could feel the warmth of the young girl, who had fallen immobile just a few inches away, and he could see through the corner of his eye, Harry still struggling…a Dementors hands wrapped around his throat, his hands weakly pulling on Sirius's arm.

But he passed out before he could witness the end.

*

Sirius awoke quickly and groggily. He was seated on a small wooden stool, a child's seat, in an empty classroom. Empty except for Albus Dumbledore, who sat on the other side of the room staring at him thoughtfully from over his half-moon spectacles.

He quickly recognised his location as Professor Flitwick's old office on the seventh floor, although since his last visit it had been redecorated, and the door was heavily bolted.

Before stopping to think about how to phrase his argument, Sirius found words bursting out of his mouth.

_"Harry, is he alright…what happened to the children? What happened to the Dementors? Have they told you what happened yet? Did anyone get hurt?"_

_"Harry is fine Sirius, they're all fine. Severus Snape brought you all back up to the castle a short while ago."_

_"And Remus?"_

_"He has not been found. Don't expect to see him again for a few hours, even once he has returned to his human form, it will take a while to locate and retrieve him from the forest."_

_"And what about Pettigrew?"_

_"Pettigrew?"_

_"Yes…have the children told you what happened yet? They can all tell you what happened, they saw it all."_

Sirius sighed as Dumbledore looked back at him, his eyes widening in curiosity. It unfortunately seemed as though Dumbledore was thoroughly unaware of the events that had occurred.

_"What are you talking about Sirius? It has already been presumed that you are here tonight for malevolent reasons…the Dementors are on their way. Your time is running out."_

_"But…"  
  
_

_"I have patience that others do not share. I will give you the benefit of the doubt and hear your story, but it will count for little…I have no power when it comes to your fate. It lies in Cornelius Fudge's hands, and he has already signed the necessary papers for the Dementors to perform the kiss."_

_"But…Pettigrew, he's not dead, he was here tonight…the children saw him…Remus saw him…"_

_"I told you I would give you the benefit of the doubt, Sirius, but you too must be patient enough to trust me."_

Dumbledore stepped away from the door and slowly approached him. Sirius felt his hands gripping the back of the chair in anxiety.

_"The Dementors have weakened your resolve, this should be quick and painless."_

_"What are you going to do to me?"_

_"I am sure you are familiar with the obscure branch of magic known as Legilimency. The magical ability to extract feelings and memories from another persons mind. Following the Dementors attack, your feelings are numbed, so access to your memories should be easy and unbiased. Ergo, your memories will not be clouded by your feelings, so I will see a clear and realistic view of the truth. I am giving you the chance nobody else ever did, to show me you are an innocent man."_

_"You know I'm an innocent man?"_

_"I didn't say that, Sirius. Time is short, do as I say. Look into my eyes and open your mind."_

Dumbledore removed his spectacles, and placed them carefully into his pocket, then kneeled down before him, brushing aside a few strands of the greasy black hair, and making solid eye contact.

He then slowly raised his wand and pressed it to Sirius's temple, calmly uttering _"Legilimens."_

Like a photo album, being flicked through at high speed, Sirius lost all perception of the room around him, and distorted visions of his memories trickled down from the deep recesses of his mind, and into his vision.

Lily and James's wedding. Harry's birth. Peter's betrayal. The years of Azkaban. The desperate escape. The newspaper article. The months alone in the forest. The Shrieking shack. Peter's return. The fight with the Werewolf. The attack of the Dementors. 

As each image fell in front of his eye line, the distortion became less and he could clearly see and feel Dumbledore sitting staring on in shock and astonishment.

As quickly as it had begun, it ended, and Dumbledore was putting his glasses back on slowly and backing away towards the door.

Sirius tried to speak, but found the words getting lost in his throat.

Dumbledore spoke for him.

_"It's alright Sirius, I saw it all. I know the truth."_

_"Does…does this mean I'm free to leave?"_

_"I am afraid not. As I explained, the decision has already been made and no force on Heaven or Earth can change it…but I will not let a guiltless man be punished this way. Fear not, I will do all in my power to secure your release."_

_"So, you know, you know everything? Peter and the betrayal, and him killing all those people, and what happened tonight?"_

_"As best as you remember it. I saw what you saw. Nothing more and nothing less."_

With a swish of his wand, the door had opened. Sirius stood quickly, but a gesture of Dumbledore's wrinkled hand beckoned him to sit.

_"Our paths will cross again, Sirius Black."_

Dumbledore swept out of the room, closing the door promptly behind him. Sirius contemplated their parting words for a brief moment, before leaning over in his chair and wiping his face on his tattered robes. He felt terrible. 

The conversation with Professor Dumbledore had done little to make him feel better, especially knowing that more Dementors were on their way…eager and ready to remove his soul by force.

Before he could reflect anymore on the possibility of living the rest of his life without an interesting personality, a heavy beating sound resounded from outside the window.

Sirius looked up hurriedly, and opened his mouth in shock and disbelief. Harry and Hermione were floating outside on a large winged beast, more specifically a Hippogriff. 

Without any more thought, Sirius leaped to his feet and over to the window, grabbing the metal support and desperately trying to pull it open. It was stuck, firmly.

_"Stand back!" _

Sirius backed away, as the girl pointed her wand and yelled _"Alohomora"_ enthusiastically. The window sprang open, and the wind whipped inside, blasting Sirius's face with the cool evening air.

_"How – how-?"_

_"Get on – there's not much time. You've got to get out of here – the Dementors are coming. Macnair's gone to get them." _

Sirius stepped forwards again and carefully placed his hands on the window-frame, heaving his body out of the narrow gap and flinging his leg over the Hippogriff's back, so he sat uncomfortably behind Hermione.

_"Ok, Buckbeak, up! Up to the tower – come on!"_

With one powerful sweep of his wings, the Hippogriff, Buckbeak, soared upwards to the West Tower, and landed with a clatter.

Harry and Hermione slid off, giving Sirius the opportunity to shift forwards and grasp the rope.

_"Sirius, you'd better go, quick. They'll reach Flitwick's office any moment, they'll find out you've gone."_

_"What happened to the other boy? Ron?"_

_"He's going to be OK – he's still out of it, but Madam Pomfrey says she'll be able to make him better. Quick – go!"_

_"How can I ever thank -"_

_"GO!"_

Sirius pulled the rope and wheeled the Hippogriff round to face the open sky. 

_"We'll see each other again. You are – truly your father's son, Harry…"_

With a squeeze of his heels, and a further pull of the rope…the wings began to beat downwards again, and the creature rose slowly into the sky, with Sirius clinging on happily as he escaped to freedom once more.

TO BE CONCLUDED!!!


	11. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

_"We call that person who has lost his father, an orphan; and a widower  
that man who has lost his wife. But that man who has known the immense  
unhappiness of losing a friend, by what name do we call him? Here every  
language is silent and holds its peace in impotence."  
-- Joseph Roux --_

The warm grains of sand engulfed his feet, as he pushed them downwards, and out of sight. A moment later, the cool water swept upwards, finding its way down between the granules.

He could feel the increased weight, as he pulled his feet back upwards, and stood…gazing peacefully out into the distance, where the sea met the sky.

Though he was theoretically still an escaped convict, Sirius could honestly confess that he had never felt so free. Before Azkaban, the threat of Voldemort haunted his every action…but now…he was in a place where there was nothing to fear aside from fear itself, and only the horrors which he had witnessed in his life could cause any harm.

Sirius turned, the wind sweeping his robes upward as he walked cheerfully back up the beach and towards the cliff.

Carefully avoiding the aggressive crabs, which sometimes hid between the rocks, he entered the cave, where the embers of the fire were still glowing.** His food parcel from Remus lay unopened, ready to be eaten sometime soon when the local supply of fish and scavenged fruit had been exhausted. Alongside the parcel lay an envelope****. He patted Buckbeak gently as he collapsed to the ground onto the pile of blankets he had assembled as a makeshift bed. A moment later the envelope had been torn open.**

He pulled out the letter that lay within, a cream coloured sheet, folded neatly in half and coated in emerald ink**. **Remus wasn't rich enough to afford a family seal.

_ Dear Padfoot, _

_I hope this letter reaches you, wherever you are. I am going to use one of the Hogwarts owls, shortly before I leave the school._

_Yes, I have sadly found myself in the position where resignation is unavoidable. You are probably wondering why I have left…you wouldn't be the only one. After Hagrid brought me from the forest this morning; I couldn't face the prospect of spending another year at the school with the horrors of last night always fresh in my memory. _

_ Saving Peter was a noble deed, but it would have meant little to anyone if I had killed him, let alone Harry, Ron and Hermione. Please accept my apologies for any harm I caused you. It was entirely unprovoked, yet unfortunately in the character of the monster… as you know all too well from the past._

_I find myself struggling to write now, as I sit here next to my belongings that have already been packed. I suppose, you could say, it would be too difficult to stay at Hogwarts. I need some time alone, to think about what happened._

_It's not everyday that you find out everything you have thought for the past decade is a lie. To say it has been a shock is an underestimate. I need to take a good few weeks to reflect on the whole thing and figure out what happens next. Not just professionally, but personally._

_ I hope you'll understand if I don't write again for a while. Enjoy the food!_

Then there was a mark where the name 'Remus J. Lupin' had been written, but scribbled out.

_ -Moony_

Sirius smiled, happily yet longingly. In many ways his life had been easy compared to the monthly torture Remus suffered.

James was dead. Remus was a werewolf and Peter had spent a third of his life as a rat. Perhaps Sirius had been the lucky one. 12 years in Azkaban had shielded him from the goings on in the world, the hurt…the suffering.

He didn't have to go through the agony of Lily and James's funeral, or sit grimly as the rest of the wizarding world celebrated Voldemort's downfall. He had been locked away from all that. Locked away from the pain.

His life now had meaning again. Revenge is an idle goal…destined to lead nowhere. But knowing that Harry, Remus, Dumbledore and others had faith and trust in him, was a feeling greater then any which Sirius had known since his childhood.

As he slept that night, his dreams…for the first time in years stayed optimistic and joyful, never drifting into the horrific nightmares that plagued Azkaban inmates. Never twisting themselves into bizarre fantasies of revenge and retribution. 

His joy was ignorant though; ignorant to what the future would bring…. ignorant to the eventual fate that awaited him.

Sirius Black. 1960-1996. 


	12. CONCLUDING AUTHORS NOTE

Authors note 

****

The story has finally finished…and I cannot thank everyone who has read and reviewed it enough. I have probably gone on about it endless times before in my previous A/N, so it is starting to sound trivial and tacky as hell…. but anyway, thank you. Writing fan fiction isn't writing for personal enjoyment, it is about sharing your creative accomplishments, regardless of their quality, with the masses. 

A story that has truly been written with passion, is one that says as much about the writer as it does about the characters, reflecting your opinions…aspirations…whatever (If this authors note was a film script, all the critics would say it was cheesy as hell) but I am just kind of gushing with happiness at finally ending the story!!!! :)

So here goes…. thank you list 2003

**_Kyrissaean_**_ –You were the first ever reviewer, and have consistently supported and reviewed the story since the beginning. Good luck with the whole D/G thing…it's a very good piece of work, even if D/G scares me somewhat._

**_Polkat _**_– Again, you have reviewed the story consistently through the chapters and always offered helpful advice for improvement…making constructive criticism good. Cannot thank you enough for doing some editing work on the Epilogue, is a better chapter for it. Thank you. Now go write more Tom Riddle!!!!!! That story Siriusly and Remusly and er…riddlsy rules. Now I am not making sense. David Thewlis much better then Ralph Fiennes!!!!!!!!!!!! If Thewlis screws up, time machine is waiting though. Go Remus!_

_Anyone reading this authors note – GO READ HER STORIES AND REVIEW. 'Shards' is excellent._

**_Mello-Skello, Kit Black, Dan Finkelstein, Stryderman_**_ – Your reviews were all greatly appreciated in those tough early days. Glad you liked the story, if you had left signed reviews I could have taken a look at your own stories._

**_Earithramir_**_ – Accusations of your Pederism are, I am sure, unfounded. Cheers for the one-off review, maybe you should take a shot at writing yourself someday Mr.Glover…the results would be interesting. Keep reading your R rated Dumbleporn._

**_Believe, Thoroughbred, Voice of Reason 2, Cleo Sombra, SynakaSuus_**_ - Short reviews, but was rather touched by the words of kindness. _

**_Sophocles, Zinnith_**_ – It wasn't meant to be THAT funny, but glad you liked it._

**_Nicole Black & Jen_**_– Promotion never hurt anyone, I stayed true to my word and read as many peoples stories as possible._

**_Spoogal, Angelina Knole, Jeni, Munkyme, A.Dee, LostAngel2_**_ – Again, thank you very much for liking the story and saying so by taking the time and effort to review. _

**_GriffinFox_**_ – You have reviewed several times, and I always enjoy egotistically absorbing your praise._

_ **Chocolate Taco** – Lol, Mr.Black does indeed Siriusly rule. Your Harry Potter stories are great. IMDB boards forever!_

**_ Courtknee_**_ - Watch The Sky For Me is an absolutely brilliant piece of work that deserves to be read by everyone. Write more stories!!! Thanks for the reviews!___

**_The Imperius, Silinde and SiriusSara_**_ – You showed up as the story was going through a rough stage, thanks for being such a great help and always giving very kind reviews._

**_Faeirex_**_ – A latecomer, but I am flattered that you didn't offer a single piece of criticism, is quite out of character. Harry Potter fan fictions rock!_

**_Toomanycurls_**_ – Awh, you rule! I enjoy subtle humour!_

**_Flyinhigh_**_ – You are in denial about Sirius's death. I am sorry._

**_Daughter-of-sarcasm_**_ – Okay, I completely love your single fan fiction. Write more ASAP…Peter is such a tragic figure._

**_Amoeba Queen_**_ – The second Jurassic Park wasn't that bad actually._

_ **Snuffles2984 **– Always a pleasure to speak to you on MSN. We grieve together for Sirius Black. He was like a second father to me._

**_Florence Fortescue_**_ – The more Sirius the better. Damn right._

**_BelleDayNight_**_ – Sirius has indeed suffered badly. Muchos gratitude for reviewing._

**_Ruby Fire Wolfson_**_ – There always has to be one…surprisingly your advice on punctuation actually fairly interesting. Stay cool._

**_Fantome_**_ – You just reviewed so many times!!!!!!! Had to mention how awesome it was to wake up one morning with a whole inbox full of reviews. Thanks a lot!_

**_The Lady Wolfshead_**_ – You showed up when I was in a state of semi-depression following the Shrieking Shack, and wrote one of the nicest reviews ever. Thank you so much…meant a lot to me. Glad you liked the story._

**_Ms. CE_**_ – I always like praise…thanks a lot._

There are probably a heap more reviews that are going to show up for the Epilogue, so here is a resounding THANKS to all those people. If I missed anyone…sorry, email me and I'll edit this note as best I can. Thanks so much.

And for old times sake…

Sirius Black, Sirius White, Sirius Green, Sirius Blue, Sirius Yellow, Sirius Purple.


End file.
